It was another Words and Music morning at the May 1 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club featuring Scott Lewis followed by a brief talk by Dawne Fowler on the topic of “Communicate like a Champ.”
To start things off, Scott performed some songs and talked about his experience in Pattaya. He is from the UK and has been visiting Pattaya for 20 years. He became a permanent resident four years ago after getting stuck due to COVID-19. He used to play in a Beatles tribute band in the UK and now plays solo or in bands in various venues in Pattaya.
Scott explained that as a musician, he had to constantly learn new songs and adapt to the preferences of his audience. He mentioned that he was under pressure to keep his material fresh and to expand his repertoire beyond his background of 50s and 60s classics. Even so, he said that he enjoyed playing songs that he had never done before and that sometimes worked well. Scott did some songs by Steve Harley, The Beatles, Elton John, ABBA, and Monty Python, and explained how he learned them or why he likes them.
Scott invited the audience to join in and sing along with some of the songs. He responded to some requests from the audience, such as House of the Rising Sun and I Won’t Back Down, and explained why he chose to start every show with Here Comes the Sun. He also said that he was open to suggestions for new songs and that he would try to learn them for his next visit.
Dawne was next up. She noted that in her past she was stage and film actor. But this was not public speaking as she was delivering someone else’s script under someone else’s direction, and it wasn’t really her. But as time moves on life changes and she had to get a real job which was as an advertising executive. She said that caused her to nearly lose her mind because she was now writing and presenting material to sell her employer’s advertising services. Due to her anxiety in meeting and giving presentations to top corporate managers, she realized she needed to find some way to get help with gaining confidence in public speaking as well as how to use good body language and tone of voice to improve her presentations.
She then went on to describe how she joined Toastmasters after being invited by a business associate and learned how to craft effective speeches, think on her feet, and receive constructive feedback in a supportive environment. Further, her reason for speaking to the Club was to extend an invitation to the audience to join a demonstration meeting for a new Toastmasters club in Pattaya. She said anyone who wants to improve their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills should attend.
After the presentations, MC Ren Lexander brought everyone up to date on upcoming events. This was followed by the Open Forum portion of the meeting where the audience can ask questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. To learn more about the PCEC, visit their website at https:/pcec.club. To view a video on the PCEC’s YouTube channel of the meeting, for Scott visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGgG0sV19s0 and for Dawne visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gj9MjZYsPw.
