The Woo-Hoo factor

Has anyone ever cheered you up by saying… “Woo-hoo”? That moment is truly addictive. I recently experienced it during the Toastmasters Division T contest last Sunday.

I’m not that great of a speaker. At times, my articulation is really poor. My words do not create an impact. I do stumble. There are even times when I cannot translate my thoughts into the right words. Yet, just like how rare it is to see the thin crescent of the moon in the sky, it is very rare for me to craft a powerful speech.

Now, I don’t want to share the exact speech here, as I have already done so in a few of my blogs. Instead, I want to share how I created the speech—and how that led me to the “woo-hoo” factor.

My father-in-law is a typical techie who has turned our small home into a smart home. Gates open, lights turn on, fans start running—and even our little nephew can play the famous Pushpa movie song “Saamy” just by saying, “Alexa… play Saamy Saamy.”

One day, when my father visited this smart home, he was gently amazed and taken aback by the power of Alexa. Yes, he is a bit old-school. Not to belittle him, but at times I wonder how much he knows about cars, motors, tractors, and trucks. After all, he is a farmer.

In a speech, analogy is my favorite tool. So my concept became Alexa. That was clear. And I used “Amma” as the analogy for Alexa. Alexa for functional listening. Amma for emotional listening.

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the movie 99 Songs. It’s quite popular, especially because it is associated with A. R. Rahman. There is a song called “Oar Aayiram Vaanavil,” and there’s a line: “Amma… un madi pothum.” That line helped me strengthen my script by drawing a connection between Alexa and Amma.

I closed the speech with a powerful line:

“In this world of artificial intelligence, nothing is more intelligent than a mother’s love.”

I sometimes wonder—though I’m working on other speeches—whether I will be able to create something as impactful as “Alexa vs Amma” again. Sometimes, simply observing small things around us or listening to the lyrics of our favorite songs can turn magical, sooner or later.

It happened to me on March 22, 2026, at the SINDA auditorium in Singapore, during the Division T contest—the day I delivered the speech:

“We are not rich, but we have Alexa.”

It may be too much to say that I remembered Martin Luther King Jr. that day—but it is my dream to create more impactful speeches, just like him.

I have a dream! Woo-hoo!