SAL Entertainment Speech Contest 2026

There was no regular meeting at SAL on Thursday; instead, we had the Entertainment Speech Contest 2026. Seven contestants in total and I was sixth in line.

Preparing an 'entertaining' contest speech is a brutal task for a naturally deadpan person like me. My progress stopped short after finding a premise: sharing my deepest public speaking vulnerabilities with the audience. All I have to show for it so far is a title: "The Elephant in the Room".

Indeed, my groundbreaking progress grounded to a halt right there. I blamed my calendar. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – all swallowed by back-to-back meetings. Apparently, the remaining scraps of those three days lacked the creative muse required to rescue me from my own stifling seriousness. 

And so, when the time came on the day of contest, I just steeled myself and presented an impromptu speech. I was admittedly pretty much edgy but I shook off my nervousness and even if my knees were shaking, it was because my legs were actually applauding my courage! 

To my surprise, that raw, unscripted honesty – mixed with a dash of desperate wit – resonated with the three judges, and I walked away with second-place. It taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes, the best speech is the one that comes straight from the heart, completely unburdened by overthinking.

SAL Certificate CSL(1)

The first milestone reached! 🚀

I submitted the paperwork at 10:37 PM yesterday and received my Certificate at 11:28 PM the same day! How amazing is that?

Officially certified as a Competent Speaker Level 1 at Speakers and Leaders after crushing eight speeches and stepping up to serve as the Meeting Leader for one regular club meeting!

A big thank you to Sandy Tan, the visionary initiator of this speaking club, for creating the incredible platform that made this growth possible. 🙌

On to the next level! Competent Speaker Level 2! 🎯

My passion for public speaking knows no final full-stop! 

Speaking isn't just what I do; it is an addiction I never want to cure!

A SAL Mind Your Language Speech

Apologies in advance for my post today about Thursday's SAL meeting; expect it to be brashly bombastic, proudly pompous, and vainly verbose! 😂😂😂

The catalyst for this lexical extravagance is my delivery of a discourse on the CSL1(8) "Mind Your Language" curriculum, during which I engineered a deliberate manifestation of sesquipedalian loquaciousness to celebrate reaching the milestone of Competent Speaker Level 1.

On that day, an exceptionally esteemed gathering of seven vocabulary virtuosos assembled to release a torrential downpour of linguistic architecture. Every grandiloquent syllable was meticulously engineered to shatter the boundaries of simple comprehension, leaving the captivated audience utterly drowning in an opulent sea of monumental oration.

My speech title was "From Page to Podium" and I was third in line out of five to present.

I started off by introducing myself as a logophile, a lover of words. A lexiphile. A verbivore. A wordsmith. All these big words carried the same meaning. 

To top it off, I confessed to being a lectiophile, which is just a fancy way of saying I'm obsessed with reading. Naturally, that also makes me a proud bibliophile with an ever-growing book collection.

Reading makes you smarter by physically rewiring your brain. It strengthens neural pathways related to memory, visual processing, and language, while expanding your vocabulary, improving focus, and building your capacity for critical thinking and empathy. 

From reading, I progressed to public speaking. Always, promoting the versatility, vibrancy and vitality of language, I have continued to speak and unleash the power of words since then.

For the legendary "That's One Minute" challenge, six brave souls faced the intransigent word "adamant", followed by an intense session of raw, emotional self-reflection from five heroic project speakers.

This bloated post is truly, a verbal peregrination of exaggerated intentions. 😁😁😁

A visual chronicle of our merry meeting:

Bittersweet Bliss: My Epic Durian Feast

I am savouring every single bite of the Musang King! 😋😋😋

My stomach is riding the "durian tsunami" and for sure, I am happily wiping out on every creamy, bittersweet bite! 😋😋😋

For sure, the durian is dangerously addictive. It's beyond divine. And don't let its tough exterior fool you: durian pairs an unmatched flavour with incredible health benefits.

In fact, I came across an AsiaOne report on June 30 that dietitians at Singapore's Changi General Hospital certify that durian has good monounsaturated fats, otherwise known as "good" fats, that can help lower harmful cholesterol levels and moderate high blood pressure. 

And the principal dietitian at Raffles Medical Group affirms that these can help reduce risks of heart disease and stroke. 

Durian brings other health benefits which include improving muscle strength and skin health, regulating bowel movements, supporting the nervous and immune systems, and enhancing red blood cell formation as it is rich in potassium, dietary fibre, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B complex. 

The fruit belonging to the genus Durio also has polyphenols such as flavonoids and carotenoids – anti-oxidative compounds that may help decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes, contends dietitians from Mount Alvernia Hospital. 

Even more interesting, the claim that eating durians can put you in a great mood is not unfounded. 

Durians contain tryptophan, a food-derived amino acid involved in the production of serotonin – the "feel good" hormone associated with mood regulation. 

"During digestion, tryptophan gets converted into serotonin, which may induce feelings of relaxation and improved mood", a doctor at Raffles Diabetes and Endocrine Centre explains. "Tryptophan is also converted to melatonin, a hormone that controls your sleep cycle and may help you fall asleep easier". 

You should know that I explored this natural mood booster in Chapter 15, "The Happy Hormones", of my public speaking book, "The Pearls of Your Speech" (2025). It's a social chemical that "makes you feel good about yourself, stoking confidence and spurring self-esteem, and nurturing a sense of common bond that stems from status, respect, and loyalty" (page 157). 

Therefore, eating durian absolutely makes sense for a public speaker like me! 😁😁😁

A SAL Stop Your Giggles Speech

At the SAL meeting on Thursday, I served as the designated Meeting Leader, which is a mandatory leadership requirement for Level 1 of my Competent Speaker program. [Note: Post-Thursday, I have only one speech left before I complete this level]. 

Additionally, I was one of four speakers and I presented my CSL1(7) "Stop Your Giggles" speech, titled "What Me Worry About Glossophobia?" 

I began by declaring that my speech marked one of those rare occasions when I spoke about myself. And how I have been under siege by a seemingly endless army of irrational fears. Some of them I did manage to surmount, and others remain with me until this day.

Since my speech was on glossophobia, you can correctly presume that I have conquered my fear of public speaking. And I am decidedly proud of myself because today, I love giving speeches.

That wasn't all because I also overcame both sophophobia (fear of studying) and hematophobia (fear of blood). These fears were interconnected. Experiencing physical discipline (i.e., caning oftentimes causing cutaneous lacerations) on a regular basis, I learned to accept that I had to study.

Even so, I am burdened with many lingering phobias that are still a part of my life. Among those I identified and which I broke them down are sociophobia (fear of social situations), coulrophobia (fear of clowns), acrophobia (fear of heights), agoraphobia (fear of open places or crowds), and claustrophobia (fear of confined or tight spaces). Not to forget, I also struggle with nomophobia (fear of being without a mobile phone or losing signal). This is a very big problem, because the phone is already like an appendage to me. 

I must say it was a revelation of a speech that ruthlessly exposed my hang-ups! 😧😧😧

[CLARIFICATION: The speech is a creative narrative rather than a factual account].  

The "That's One Minute" session followed immediately after, and the theme I chose was "Clowns". Seven speakers took part. 

The session ended on a high note as the four project speakers shared their biggest takeaways. 

Photos from the said meeting:

A SAL Look At Your Audience Speech

It’s that time again for the Speakers and Leaders club meeting. The 53rd meeting.

On Thursday, I delivered my CSL1(6) "Look At Your Audience" speech, titled "I Can See Clearly Now".

The said topic refers to a Johnny Nash song from 1972. It is an uplifting anthem of hope and perseverance. The song's central meaning is about overcoming adversity, letting go of past pain, and finding the courage to move forward into a brighter, more positive future. 

I spoke about embracing it because I too, could totally relate to it. There was a time when I lacked self-assurance, and I was insecure and couldn't speak if my life depended on it. 

But I knew very well I had to speak up and speak out. I had to orate. That was when I resolutely stepped out of my comfort zone, learned to smother my nerves and braved myself to speak. Not just speak but speak with cogency, confidence and conviction. Hope was my anchor.

For at least six years, I spoke habitually, regularly and persistently. Truth be told, at one point in time, I presented six speeches a week without fail.

Truly, I had found the courage to move forward and become a polished speaker. I mastered the art of expression, eloquence and elegance, delivering speeches that have clarity, connection and charm.

Rohijas MD Sharif, the Language Observer, highlighted the rhythmic use of triads as a standout feature of my 5-8-minute speech.

And so, I was voted Best Speaker. There were four project speakers this time around. 

As for the "That's One Minute" session, the chosen one-word topic was 'enlightening'. Five speakers stepped forward. 

Me, I shared a little anecdote about bird poop! 😂😂😂

Significantly, I delivered three presentations at the meeting: a prepared project speech, a one-minute address, and an evaluation of my own project.

Photos of the June 25th meeting: