Division E, District 102 Toastmasters International hosted its first-ever full-day Exhibitions & Fun Activities, Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests 2025–2026 at South City Plaza, Seri Kembangan on 15 November 2025, marking a historical milestone while transforming the mall into a vibrant hub of leadership and learning.
Held from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the event for Division E was the first time its flagship contests were paired with a public community exhibitions in a shopping mall setting, bringing the Toastmasters International experience directly to families, youth, and shoppers.
“Our goal was to showcase what Toastmasters International is all about and to raise awareness on a public platform,” said Dr. Saraswathy Thurairaj, DTM, Division E Director, Organising Chair, and Contests Chair. “We wanted people to see, hear, and experience first-hand how communication and leadership skills can be built through fun and engaging activities.”
“The exhibitions highlighted the creativity, talent, and innovation of Toastmasters International members while providing opportunities for meaningful interaction, learning, and inspiration. Today was not just a celebration of achievement, but also of collaboration, encouragement, and the joy of growing together as communicators and leaders,” she added.
“Even though hosting an inaugural exhibitions and contests like this in a public space was one of our most challenging tasks, I am extremely proud of its success,” Dr. Saraswathy continued. Visitors witnessed the vibrant Division E Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests for the 2025–2026 term, where champions from various Clubs and Areas competed at the Division level to advance to the District stage. The public setting allowed the audience, especially youth, to learn from talented speakers who combined humour with impactful messages, while the Impromptu segments challenged participants to think quickly, structure their ideas, and present them with confidence and creativity. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all the good souls who came to help us in this event, making it a remarkable success,” said Dr Saraswathy.
The event was designed around four key objectives:
- Promoting Toastmasters International as a platform for personal and professional growth
- Creating public awareness of leadership, communication and confidence-building programmes
- Providing an interactive space for youth, families and the community to learn about public speaking
- Strengthening collaboration between Toastmasters clubs and the local community
From the morning, visitors were greeted with a lively exhibitions featuring booths, interactive sessions and leadership-themed games, all aligned with Toastmasters International's core values of Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence.
Clubs under Division E showcased their activities, success stories, and meeting demonstrations, while guest club Nawem Toastmasters Club from District 51 added cross-district flavour to the line-up with its Table Topics speech activity for the audience on the stage and gave away prizes.
The exhibitions highlighted a diverse range of 20 exhibitors, including:
- SPIE Training Solutions
- Polymorph Recruitment
- Nawem Toastmasters Club
- MCIS Insurance
- International Sewing School
- Zurich Insurance
- Asian Metropolitan University
- International Psychology Centre
- HIH Healthcare Sdn Bhd
- Temasek Post
- Community organisations such as the Malaysian Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) and the Malaysian Astrological Society
The event was graced by Professor Ts. Log. Is. Dr. Othman Ibrahim, Director of Corporate Engagement, Strategic Partnership and Industry Linkages at Universiti Malaya-Wales (UMW), who underscored the importance of such initiatives.
Prof. Othman, who is also the Deputy President of the Malaysian Council for Business Empowerment (MPPM), described the programme as a “remarkable event” and emphasised the significance of collaborations between community and education.
“This kind of intervention between communities and education is key to ensuring we develop the best communicators,” he said.
“We need strong speakers and communicators who can leverage their expertise and knowledge, and align with our national interest to produce the best talent in Malaysia and beyond.”
Division E Tamil Bilingual clubs, Trisula, Lavangam, Mahakavi and Anbu Toastmasters Clubs and UTAR Sungai Long Toastmasters Club also played a key role in bridging the Tamil-speaking and student communities.
For many exhibitors, the collaboration with Toastmasters International was a natural fit.
Sumithra Peragaladum, founder of SPIE Training Solutions, said the event offered a powerful platform to connect communication with branding and leadership.
She specialises in personal branding, corporate branding, brand storytelling, leadership development, customer service and emotional intelligence and sees communication as the bridge that makes all these disciplines work.
“We empower employers and employees to understand why branding matters and why employees are the pinnacle of the organisation,” she explained.
“Toastmasters International is the best place to polish how you speak clearly, speak with facts, and build credibility.”
For SPIE, Toastmasters International complements its mission by helping professionals align their voice, persona, confidence and leadership presence with their brand.
At the Polymorph Recruitment booth, recruiter Glory saw the event as a chance to connect both with employers and jobseekers.
“We participate in events across Malaysia and this was a great opportunity to introduce our company to potential employers and candidates,” she said.
“We offer recruitment, HR consulting, payroll services and even resume screening. Some people don’t get interviews simply because something is off in their resume. We help them fix that and also guide fresh graduates who want to switch into fields they’re passionate about.”
For MCIS Insurance, represented by Shan, the motivation was straightforward: networking and visibility.
“Toastmasters International has many branches all over Malaysia, and a lot of people are connected with Toastmasters,” he said.
“This is a big opportunity for me to present myself and my company meet more people, and see what’s happening around us.”
“A Platform to Witness Courage on Stage”
From the club leadership side, Rosaline Sundralingam, President of Nawem Toastmasters Club, said the exhibitions were well organized that had interesting booths where the public could visit and witness live contests.
“Audience were eager to know who are the best speakers as well as excited to hear out their lucky draw number,” she said.
Meanwhile, Catherine Paul, the Media and PR Manager commended the event adding that the public also took part in the Table Topics speech activity on the stage to experience for the first time what Toastmasters International was all about. “The audience had a hands-on experience on how to deliver an impromptu speech via the activity as well as watch the speakers present their speeches. As a result, they had an opportunity to explore their public speaking and leadership skills,”she said.
All the booth exhibitors contributed more than RM300 worth of lucky draw gifts, and several South City Plaza tenants also contributed additional gifts.
In total, almost 100 gifts were given away during three rounds of lucky draws, creating a lively, engaging, and joyful atmosphere throughout the event. The lucky draw had a strong positive impact, as it encouraged greater participation, strengthened community bonding, and added excitement from start to finish. Almost everyone had the opportunity to take home at least one gift, making the event meaningful and memorable for all.
Institutional Support: Communication as National Capital
Also present was Lee Ming Tze, former District Director (2020–2021) and current District Parliamentarian, who reflected on her Toastmasters' journey through the pandemic.
She noted how clubs adapted from fully physical meetings to online and hybrid formats, and stressed that Toastmasters International remains open to anyone aged 18 and above, including non-Malaysian residents living in the country.
“This kind of public event is a good opportunity to attract more members, help them become better communicators and leaders and serve our multicultural, multinational society,” she said.
25 Clubs, Dozens of Role Players and Six Champions
A total of 25 Toastmasters clubs from Division E participated, including MY Puchong, Damansara, IBC, Warisan, Puchong English, Master Jaya, UTAR Sungai Long, Kajang, the four Tamil bilingual clubs (Trisula, Mahakavi, Lavangam, Anbu), Super Speakers, OUM, Share & Inspire, International Psychology Centre, Zeito, Shell Cyberjaya, Hasil, AMD Cyberjaya, Cyberjaya Community, Cyberstars, Personal Development, NSCA, and ITF Toastmasters Club.
In the afternoon, attention shifted fully to the Division E Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests, held from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The contests brought together top speakers across Division E competing for a coveted place at the District 102 Contest.
The winners were:
Humorous Speech Contest
- 1st place – Jason Thong (OUM Toastmasters Club)
- 2nd place – Loh Mei Jen (Master Jaya Toastmasters Club)
- 3rd place – Balasubramaniam (IBC Toastmasters Club)
Table Topics Contest
- 1st place – Kelvy Eng (MY Puchong Toastmasters Club), the division’s youngest Toastmaster at just 18
- 2nd place – Tay Li Ying (Master Jaya Toastmasters Club)
- 3rd place – Yong Yun Wei (Super Speakers Toastmasters Club)
Under its slogan “Division E: Where Excellence Meets Compassion”, the event successfully combined competition with community service. Special appreciation goes to Dr. Saraswathy and her dedicated team, who worked tirelessly to coordinate the lucky draw, secure contributions, and ensure that every participant had a gift to bring home. Their commitment and teamwork played a major role in the success of the event. She also expressed her thanks and gratitude to all the generous contributors. Prof. Othman sponsored the grand prize, and many electrical appliances, hotel vouchers, gift vouchers, and other attractive items were given away. 176 participants attended the event.
For Dr. Saraswathy, the outcome spoke for itself. She noted that Division E achieved its objectives of raising awareness of Toastmasters International on a public platform, strengthening community connections, and inspiring new and existing members alike. As she often reminds her members, “When a community finds its voice, it also discovers its power.”
Shahriena Shukri is a journalist covering business and economic news in Malaysia, providing insights on market trends, corporate developments, and financial policies. More about Shahriena Shukri.
