No. 481 English Meeting 7/13

The first regular meeting under the administration of the newly elected committee marked a promising start. President K commenced the session, her inaugural one as Club President. During the business session, TM K introduced the word of the day: "Identity." Indeed, over the years, Musako has been able to create its unique ‘identity’ shaped by the enthusiastic and lively nature of our meetings and the free-spirited conversations that extend into the after-parties.

TM I took over as Toastmaster of the Day and introduced the various role-takers. TM M, the Jokemaster, provided a light moment, which helped relax the audience before the impromptu speech segment known as Table Topics. Table Topics Master TM K challenged the speakers to sell random products at the exorbitant price of 1 million dollars. The format reminded us of a Table Topics session organized by TM T last year. TM K emphasized four key qualities to persuade a buyer: (1) Speak emotionally, (2) Highlight benefits, (3) Use a bit of threat, and (4) Speak logically. The speakers tackled the task with remarkable composure and equanimity. TM I was tasked with selling a golf ball, TM Y a dishwashing sponge, and TM S a book priced at 750 JPY, all for 1 million dollars. Even our guests, O-san and N-san, were invited to join the fun, attempting to sell a battery and a portable speaker, respectively. The highlight of the session was TM S, who convincingly sold a 100 yen post-it for 1 million dollars by leveraging the fame of Shohei Ohtani, earning him the Best Table Topics Speaker award.

Among the prepared speakers, TM A, TM T, TM S, and TM S delivered engaging and diverse speeches. TM Abe effortlessly communicated the relative nature of time with more gestures than words in his speech. TM T shared humorous life experiences from her time at the United Nations concluding with why she does not color her hair. TM S shed light on the persistent vulnerabilities of human lives in wartime, from the 1940s to 2024, and TM S spoke candidly about his recent vacation in Spain with his wife. General Evaluator TM P provided feedback on each speaker, summarizing the key takeaways.