Which is more important: hard work or networking?

The debate that replaced a speech

When Susie had to cancel her prepared speech days before the meeting, Anna saw an opening: “那下周只有一个 speech 么？那要不要搞个辩论赛算了？哈哈” The idea caught on fast. Brownie posted the first debate agenda within hours and rallied the troops with two words: “来吵架吧.” The format was set: three speakers for networking (Anna, Min, Tao) against three for hard work (Brownie, Stella, Jingjing).

The banter leading up to the meeting was half the fun. Jason teased Anna: “演讲不积极 吵架你最行.” Anna’s reply was instant and self-aware: “唉哎唉……乱说啥大实话啊.” Tao, placed on the networking side, joked about breaking his usual habit of letting others argue first: “换个位置哈哈，习惯看你们先吵然后总结.” When Stella offered her debate spot to Jason, Tao couldn’t resist: “放学别走.”

Jessica’s workshop

The second half of the evening belonged to Jessica, a Canadian-German TEDx speaker and Global Educator who had taught in 42 countries and spoke four languages. A District Champion and five-time Division Winner, she had previously delivered three workshops for TCTMC. Her session, “How to be engaging? 3 ways to not be boring on stage,” gave members practical techniques for holding an audience’s attention.

Brownie, who had arranged the invitation, also shared Jessica’s feedback questionnaire after the meeting, asking members which technique they found most helpful and what they could teach Jessica about Chinese culture. As one member noted during the meeting: “Name tag is important.”

Behind the scenes

This was a meeting held together by Brownie’s energy. She managed the agenda through 25 revisions, tried to fill empty role slots by swapping emojis (“大家是不是不喜欢洋葱🧅grammarian, 换成礼物🎁喜欢了吧”), and coordinated the two-section format with Becky. One guest left a note afterward: “Really great candid shot!”