Yow Kia

I joined Toastmasters Club in January 2006 and started learning Salsa dance in April 2007. One is public speaking, another one is social dancing. Why do I link these two together? You must be wondering… The reason is simple, I saw some similarities…

Let’s see the similarities of these two communities…

Similarity #1: The courage of taking the first step
It’s not easy for someone to step out to deliver his first speech in front of the public. You may try, if you don’t believe. On the other hand, it takes courage for a guy to invite a lady for a dance.

Similarity #2: Practice, practice, practice…
I think this is common to any learning process. You really need to practise a lot! You may have fast learning skill. But when we talk about giving a speech with good body language, vocal variety and engagement with the audience, you really need to put in a lot of effort. It’s good if you can practise your speech in front of a mirror. Dancing salsa is the same, if you want to dance gracefully; you have to practise the body movement, hand gesture, foot steps… Still, you are advised to practise in front of a mirror.

Similarity #3: Stage time
Only when you are on a stage, on a dance floor, you could feel the momentum, the satisfaction that blend into your body. Imagine, while everybody is enjoying listening to your speech… Imagine, while everybody is eyeing on your graceful dance movement… Wow, that kind of feeling! You may not be an expert today, but try to imagine more that you are an expert on a stage. It will serve as a momentum to you… To move you even further…

Similarity #4: Evaluation
In Toastmasters Club, there are certain guidelines in doing evaluation. The objectives are to motivate the speaker, and to give positive comments to the speaker for improvement. It’s not an easy job to do evaluation. You may turn someone down if the wrong words were used. In Salsa Dance, there is no such lesson about evaluation. However, I feel that there is a need to introduce Evaluation Lesson to Salsa dancers. Why? In case you don’t know, salsa dance is a partner dance. Guy is the leader and girl is the follower. Both guy and girl need to signal each other well, especially the guy. Therefore, we always listen to comments from the partner, to check whether the lead from the guy is enough, the tension from both parties is sensible, etc… Imagine when a beginner guy is dancing with an intermediate lady, the lady says, “Your lead is not clear. Give more tension. More tension please… What are you trying to do?” Throughout the whole song, she is only telling you this. Tell me how you would feel as a guy. I think you will be demoralized. As a lady, you should give more courage to the guy. Ask him try again and give some positive comments to him as well. I have seen my salsa dance classmates are getting lesser after beginner class. Most of them have escaped… Please everybody; let’s give courage to each other and to excel together!

Similarity #5: Impromptu session
To give impromptu speech is tough for me. Maybe it’s because my English is not that fantastic, sometimes, I couldn’t think of a suitable word to use to describe a certain incident or situation. You have to think on your own feet within seconds. While doing salsa, you do need to think on your own feet as well, especially if you are a guy. As a guy, you need to think of what is the next movement. A good dancer is able to make his partner looks good, and it’s important that the guy has to think on his own feet to lead the lady into any moves.

In conclusion, I find that the mindset that I have cultivated through Toastmaster Journey has helped me a lot in Salsa Journey. I strongly believe that Toastmaster Mindset can lead me to a successful life in any arena!