Are You Doing Your Best? (April 1, 2018)

Written by Ian Chan
Edited by Eunice Tan
All photos taken by Eunice Tan

Hello again! We started our Chapter meeting with singing Glorious Day to remember the sacrifice of our Lord on Easter Sunday.

The icebreaker was led by Speaker Jern Ling who woke us all up by instructing us to jump, clap, walk, moonwalk, etc. After a while, she changed the meaning of the words eg. "Jump means clap" "Stop means walk." We really had to listen attentively with alertness.

 We then settled down for the devotion led by Speaker Jonique.

She shared from

1 Peter 3:15-16

5 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.  Keep your conscience clear.

This verse is a great reminder for us especially since we are communicators for Christ who should articulate our faith when faced with questions. Furthermore, it ties well with our being Ready for Influence, a common phrase in the ICC community. As Christ's ambassadors, we are to be ready to give an answer in a gentle and respectful way. Also, as we discussed the passage, we learned that we should always make sure that our own grounding in the Bible is strong before trying to be a spokesperson for Jesus! We must make sure that our heart is in the right place, that we are focusing on God's message and His will rather than the platform or the spotlight. If our heart isn't right, there is no point in speaking or being an ambassador for Christ.

Next, Coach Choong Ming shared with us the importance of having the right attitude in whatever we do, in this case, ICC.

If you don't remember, Words ALIVE started on an Easter Sunday back in April 2014. Why did we join this chapter? "Our parents wanted us to join" would be the response. :) 

Are we doing the assignments for the sake of doing it? We need to have the right motivation and ask ourselves in the end, where it actually leads to. Ultimately, we need to know the purpose of what we do. 

Then there was the YSG session conducted by Coach Joseph.

We shared our reflections on a particular speech we did by using this six steps.

1. Aims, Goals, Objectives (AGO)
2. Consider All Factors (CAF)
3. First Important Priorities (FIP)
4. Consequences and Sequel (C&S)
5. Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices (APC)
6. Other People's Views (OPV)

1. We need to have a purpose in our speeches in order to execute a good speech. If we intend to persuade others to our stand, that is our goal. The aim is the general direction, the goal is the ultimate destination, and the objectives are the recognizable points of achievement along the way. 

2. Next, we need to consider the different perspectives of the topic. In a speech, we have different points or aspects of our topic. 

3. Did we prioritize the most important points? Prioritize the most important factors or deas by sorting them from most important/strongest point to least important/weakest point. 

4. What are the consequences of our choices and what will happen next? One should consider the consequences whether short-term, mid-term, or long-term. Thinking ahead is an important habit in whatever we do. 

5. Although we may have no great ideas, we should try to find other alternatives. Who knows? you may be rewarded with great ideas. 

6. Considering how others think of the particular topic helps widen our thinking. 

These six thinking steps really helped us dig deep into our speeches!

Congratulations to all the speakers in our Chapter for your accomplishments! 

And of course, we cannot miss tea break.......

We had a hard time trying to drag ourselves back for the next part of our meeting, discussing the community platforms. 

After discussing the community platform schedule, we ended our meeting. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed reading this. Have a good day and see you next time!  

Ambassadors with Imaginations (March 4, 2018)

Written by Jonique Chan
Edited by Eunice Tan

Bienvenue everybody to our chapter's blog!

Our chapter meeting started off with a short word from our chapter chair, Speaker Ranen. As tournament was just around the corner, he reminded us to plan our time properly so that our speeches can be good.

Photo by Eunice

Next, Speaker Eunice led us in an icebreaker that required our imagination, called Sound Ball. Basically, when you make a loud sound, the ball becomes bigger and the smaller the noise the smaller the ball gets. We learned to make eye contact when we threw the ball around. Thanks for that fun icebreaker!

Photo by Eunice

Photo by Eunice

Speaker Charis was invited to share her devotion on Ephesians 6:19-20, "19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
She shared about how as ambassadors of Christ, we must share our message with humility and confidence. It was a great reminder how we must represent Christ in all circumstances.

After Charis' short and sweet devotion, Coach Jimmy (aka her dad) told us about how a young girl was offered a job because of her skills and attitude. He then encouraged us to be like her.

Photo by Eunice

Then came the part that most people detested; speech coaching. Before starting, Coach Joseph gave us a short encouraging speech on how we should not let our security blanket be preparedness, but God.

We had speeches ranging from Computer Aided Presentation, OrAd and Public Advocacy. In fact, Speaker Jern Ling and Charis even had a special guest from Singapore to join them in their OrAd!

Photo by Eunice

Photo by Eunice

Finally, it was time for a tea break (WHOO!).

To finish, Coach Joseph gave us some last tips for the upcoming Round Table.

Photo by Eunice

Photo by Eunice

Then, everyone was chased out of the house... See yall next time!!!

Frogs, Frogs Everywhere! (February 11, 2018)

Written by Toh Jern Ling
Edited by Eunice Tan

Welcome back everyone! Ah.. our last meeting before our Chinese New Year break. After Ranen welcomed and set the atmosphere, our meeting started off with an icebreaker led by Charis. It involved us sitting down in a circle, each of us saying a sentence to make a story. The circle was filled with laughter and mind-blowing ideas, as our story turned out to be about a frog that swallowed Ranen, then died and resurrected, then became a wax frog!!

We settled down with Jonique leading us into our devotion time. She talked about doing all for God, and also for others. We learned about being respectful with our words and our intentions. For example, the new trend of "burning" people (joking insults) can be offensive to some people, so we should all be careful with our tongues, so we do not hurt others. Thanks Jo!

Coach Joseph stepped in with the Dad-Sharing, starting off with the introduction of our guests, Uncle Tommy, inviting him to introduce each of his family with something he admires about them. Then, he started his sharing with the story of John the Baptist, being brought in the desert, away and in private before he made his appearance as an adult, preaching and teaching. Same thing goes for Jesus too; being privately brought up in the ways of God for thirty years before he began his ministry for three years. He then related it with his own story of a pastor, who served in the smallest church building, in the smallest denomination. After serving and meeting the needs of his small church for ten years, he started becoming well-known, having written many books, and serving in an ever-growing church of about 6,000. He linked it to our homes and the ICC community, where we are groomed and shaped in the Godly way, being humbled and available to serve, before we got out to the public, shining our light for Christ. Indeed, it was such a great reminder for all of us.

We moved on to teaching sessions, with Jonique handling the YCCers. Here's Jonique's side of the fun!

 For the YCC Teaching, I taught the excited bubbly kiddos/YCC speakers about Interpretation. I was blown away by their awesome acting skills and their contagious energy. Together, we did an interpretation of Horton hears a Who and a Frog story, and we play games. - Jonique


While the YCCers were having their session, the older speakers moved into our speech coaching, replacing our YSG teaching session with speech practice.

We had our three musketeers Ranen, Ian, and Eunice present their Orad, combining "The Beauty and The Beast" with "The Sleeping Beauty". We were all amused and thoroughly enjoyed their presented.

Next up, we had Carlson with his delightful interpretation of "The Frog and Toad".


Finally, with our stomachs grumbling, we headed out to fill them 'tum tums' with cakes, tong sui, bananas, and cookies. Yum!


We marched back in with the discussion of our roundtable topic. Our minds were cranking with information and explanations.


And that puts an end to our chapter meeting! What a fulfilling day together! Until the next time :))) Sayonara!  

Forging Into February! (February 4, 2018)

Written by Charis Chen

Edited by Eunice Tan

// february fourth //

today was good

two lines we stood

observing

grinning

Today's meeting began on a cheery note, with Ian kicking off the meeting with a laughter-filled icebreaker where we were divided into two parallel lines. Each person had a partner from the line opposite them. We took turns to look away while our partner changed something about their appearance, before we turned back to face them and try to identify what they had changed. This activity was definitely a fun, yet important reminder to always be observant of what's around us! As communicators, this comes in crucial to being able to act or respond appropriately to what is happening around us!

words - be they fiction or fact

make an impact

so speak with reason

and say what's wholesome

Ranen then led us in a devotion centered around Ephesians 4:29.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Our discussion on words led us through questions such as, "What impact have you seen words make?" "What kinds of words should we avoid?" and "What kinds of words should we use?" My favorite part of the devotion was when Ranen had us share, within our discussion groups, ways we planned to encourage people in our life this week. I really appreciated getting to hear from both the coaches and speakers on ways they wanted to show care and appreciation for their loved ones.

hold that sneeze!

we're traveling to ancient greece!

learn to win them to your party

just remember - the key is brevity

Our Dad-Coach Session was led by Coach Daniel, who brought us back in time to Ancient Greece. With the aid of some photographs, he showed us places in Ancient Greece that were key locations in the Apostle Paul's mission career and explained the culture behind those places. One of them was the Areopagus, where murderers were charged and philosophers discussed ideas. In that day, a water clock was used - a clay vessel with water that would flow out for six minutes. These six minutes were interesting minutes; it was the time allotted to someone to present his ideas to the people. Together, we read Paul's speech in Acts 17, noting that it was most likely a speech he would have presented at the Areopagus. We identified parts of the speech where Paul had used the three modes of persuasion - logos, pathos, and ethos. In the passage, we see how Paul was careful to not just show logic, but also present the truth in a manner that appealed to the Athenians, and in a manner they could trust.  Likewise, we need to strive to be relevant to others as we communicate with them.

pause

not just at a clause

you've got to find a way

with your pauses to take them away

Pause. Yes, you're going to need it. Brace yourself for...

OnthefirstdayofChristmasmytruelovegavetomeapartridgeinapeartreeontheseconddayofChristmasmytruelovegavetomeTwoturtledovesandapartridgeinapeartree.OnthethirddayofChristmasmytruelovegavetomefivegoldenrings.OnthefourthdayofChristmasmytruelovegavetomeFourcallingbirdsthreefrenchhensTwoturtledovesandapartridgeinapeartree.

Now brace yourself again for...

On
the
first
day
of



Christmas
my

true
love
gave

to me,

A
par


tridge

in
a pear

tree.

Okay, I think we've had quite enough of that erraticism. I know I have. But that came not without a point. Jonique led us laughing into our YSG session for the week, for which we learnt about utilizing pauses in our speech. Pauses can serve many purposes; they can add interest, build suspense, create emphasis, and more. Used out of balance, however, it might leave a listener feeling breathless with confusion, or waiting in annoyance for your next word.

As has been wisely stated, learning without doing is dead, so we practiced using pauses in our speech. We each picked a passage to read to a partner with effective pausing at appropriate places. It was a pause-some time!

Don't stop pausing!

Pause for the time of eating!

Get the break you need

Stretch your hands and stomp your feet

And, we're back! We wrapped up our chapter meeting with two speech practices - a Public Advocacy by yours truly on reducing the stigma of mental illnesses, and an energy-filled Cultural Storytelling by the Toh siblings. It's been a long while since we've done speech practices at chapter, and I'm glad we're kicking back into it! Little reminders of how ICC is a safe environment to grow :'))

As Coach Joseph always reminds us, "Feedback is the breakfast of champions!" - Ken Blanchard

And that brings us to the end

Thank you, dear friend

For joining us again 

Stay tuned for more adventures that remain!

Open House Day!! (Jan 7, 2018)

Written by Toh Jern Ling
Edited by Eunice Tan
All photos by Coach Daniel Toh

WELCOME BACK!!!

Today was a very special day for our chapter, Words A.L.I.V.E. because today was OPEN HOUSE DAY!!!!!

We invited the families who attended the 4:12 conference in Malaysia and are interested in joining and applying the curriculum to their lives. 

Our chapter meeting started with a BANG with our chapter chair, Ranen, welcoming and making our guests feel at ease. Then, keeping the energy up, Jern Yoong led us in an icebreaker that involved us transforming into a particular scene. Group 1 had to transform into a sports car. We got all the little kids to be the engine in the front, some of us curled up into a ball as wheels, and some of us were the wings at the back of the car

Group 2 presented a scene of "buying ice cream in an ice cream store/truck." We all had a good laugh at how big the "ice creams" were.

After getting thoroughly exhausted, we quickly moved on to the devotion by Charis. She shared based on Philippians 4:4 about rejoicing always no matter  the circumstances. To me, it is a constant reminder to be joyful, always knowing that God is in control. 

Coach Joseph took the stage on "love letters". He started with a story of a couple having a long distance relationship, and since there was no email or any internet back in those days, the man would write letters to his girlfriend every single day (that is true commitment and love y'all) only to find out that his girlfriend was getting married to the postman who sent the letters to her everyday. Coach Joseph reminded us that it was not because of the letters or the content written in each letter, but more of the day-to-day delivery. He shared with us that in ICC, it's more of the day-to-day coaching, influence, and daily communication that helps us grow and become "love letters".

 He then introduced us, speakers, and our chapter roles.

We quickly broke off into our own groups for the teaching session. Eunice led the YSGers in a session on Radio Broadcasting. After demonstrating a broadcast, she conducted an activity where we broke up into groups and analyzed articles in preparation for a broadcast.

The YSGers

Meanwhile, Jonique led the YCCers!

The YCCers

Teabreak time! 

After teabreak, we settled down to listen to the speeches some of the speakers have prepared.

Ranen: Abortion

Eunice: Identity

Ian: Personal testimony

Carson: Humor 

Lafayette: Fruits and Vegetables

And that was IT! I am sure everyone had a great time bonding, learning, and sharing during our chapter meeting. TILL NEXT TIME!!!

A.L.I.V.E. FM

Written by Ian Chan
Edited by Eunice Tan

Good Day to you all! Thanks for tuning in to our Words ALIVE Broadcast! I am your host Ian keeping you updated on the latest news in Words ALIVE!

Our special guest, ICC's East Asia Coordinator, Cassandra Shepherd, joined our meeting today!

Ok, we started with an icebreaker called Mirrors conducted by Speaker Jonique. Basically, we each had a partner and we took turns leading each other. After a while, we had to follow the leader three seconds after he does an action. This icebreaker helped us to stay alert and be attentive.

The devotion, led by Speaker Jern Ling, focused on the verse Matthew 13:34. She then broke us up into two groups and we shared our favorite parable from Jesus and why. Then we each shared an experience on how we influenced others. Our discussions yielded many meaningful insights and truths. 

Hey! Feeling bored? Well, here's something that will cheer you up. You are living, you occupy space, and you have mass. You know what that means? You matter! 


Now back to the meeting. 

My dad, Coach Wai Hong, shared with us the importance of communication and applying it to our life. He told us of a position in the UK called the Minister of Loneliness. The minister's main job is to deal with resolving social problems relating to loneliness. As communicators, we should help to make lonely people feel comfortable and include them. Noticing them and talking to them can mean a lot to them and can relieve them from depression. 

If you haven't guessed it yet, our YSG session, facilitated by Jonique, was the all-time favorite Radio Broadcasting! We were separated into groups and given some time to prepare the necessary details such as, Station Name, Program Name, Advertisements, and articles you want to report. 

First, we had Speaker Jern Yoong and Ranen from Hot Nachos FM. 
I am seriously considering buying the weather ball which predicts the weather. When its wet, I know its raining. When its dry, its sunny. When there's snow on it, its snowing, And if you can't find it, RUN!

Next up were the two Eunices. 
Very cheerful and exciting duo, best for people who need some relief. 

Last but not least, Charis and I with the Sizzling Sunday News fresh off the stove. Sounds like a cooking show, eh?

Chandler Hamby, a dear friend of the ICC community, passed on recently. Our Chapter and the Singapore Chapters decided to send a collage of notes of encouragement and comfort to the Hamby family. 

Photo by Ian Chan

That's all we have for today! Thank you once again for tuning in to A.L.I.V.E. FM, and I hope to see you again! 

What A DAY! (November 19, 2017)

Written by Toh Jern Yoong
Edited by Eunice Tan
All photos taken by Eunice Tan and Coach Joseph Tan

Welcome back again! Sadly, to our last chapter meeting of the year :(. However, to lighten things up, we will have an open house in January, so that will be something to look forward to!

Kickstarting the meeting, we had Eunice Tan leading an awesome game called ‘Zip Zap Zop” Well, we had a fun time zipping, zapping and zopping each other, till she changed the game and told us to only use eye contact to “zip,zap and zop”. Everyone had fun doing that until some even ended having death stares and creepy stares pointed at themselves. Here is a short video showing the fun we had.

This Icebreaker mainly focuses on eye contact, one of the important aspects in our speech. Without eye contact, you can't really relate to people. You have to connect with the audience to get your message across.

After the lively Ice breaker, I led the devotions taken from Psalm 26:1-3. I shared about how we as Communicators for Christ, need to check our purpose, intentions, and conduct in giving a speech. We need to “cross-examine” ourselves to be sure that we follow God’s command for us at this point in our lives. I shared a short and simple message and then split them off into groups to further discuss the topic.

Taking the platform after me was Coach Wai Hong, for our Dad’s Sharing. He launched us off by asking us what was Malaysia’s motto. Being Malaysians, we knew that it was “ Malaysia Boleh”. The twist to it however, was sharing how other countries define the word “boleh” or “can”. Long story short, it ended up that actually the spirit behind “Malaysia Boleh” wasn’t exactly “boleh”, it was something else :’) . He then linked the upbeat sharing to his main message. We as followers of Christ, even though we are part of the minority, should not just let others continue in the wrong without doing anything about it. We need to know when to act. We cannot just leave the problem and say “ nevermind” when the crowd doesn’t do the right thing. We should lead by example, not tailgating the crowd.

                                                            What is Malaysia's motto?

                                           Well, our country is certainly different from others.....

I was so encouraged by Coach Wai Hong’s sharing- short and simple, yet it so powerfully communicated a clear message.

We jumped right into (not literally) the YSG and YCC teachings after that, both sessions lead by different leaders. They both went extremely smooth. Charis, the session leader for YSG, brought us back to the formula, focusing on the three Rs, Rate,Respond and Record. Using that formula, we immediately debriefed our latest Chapter Presentation as well!

Here's what we should next time....

Students Leaders and the two different council members hard at work.

Jonique has this to say about the YCC session: “The energetic YCCers jumped in the room like popping popcorn, excited about what they were gonna learn. I led the session and taught them about Limited Preparation. Impromptu speaking is very useful but takes a lot of practice. However, the YCCers did it without any difficulty. They stumbled a bit but bounced back up really quickly. Even I marveled at their incredible skills.Through this session, they practiced eye contact, smiling, poise, and projection. The session was very interesting, and it was really fun to teach these YCCers.”

Wow Jonique, seems like you had a pretty fun time with the YCCers!

So this is what I have been practicing....

Can I just smile for the camera before the activity?

After the official chapter meeting ended, it didn't just stop there. The Coaches went on to discuss about the next chapter year, activities, and meeting dates while the speakers practiced for our upcoming Chapter Presentation. It was a fun time with jokes, smiles, giggles, and many more emotions in fact.

Who would like to start first?

I am just gonna listen in....

"I believe we should do this....."

Well, here is something good we can do as a chapter.....

Here are some extra shots...

Look at me guys, I have an Idea!!!!

Well, I better take down these notes.......

Person 1: Want to hear a joke about paper?

Person 2: Yes of course!

Person 1: Ok but be prepared, its "tearable."

We have come to the end of this blog, and I really hope you have enjoyed reading it. We are absolutely stoked to begin our next year together as a chapter soon and write all about it. For now it is Adios, and thank you so much!