Aiming High

P1 TM PRESIDENT WORD

P09 TM ALBUM

P12 THE POWER OF WORDS

Omantel Sponsor’s Gavel Club for the Young and Enthusiastic "Gavaliers" Page 4 13, O-MY SHINING STARS!

21, SPREADING

2, WHAT IS TAOSTMASTER?

THE FRAGRANCE OF DTAC

19, HOW DID THEY JOIN OMANTEL TOASTMASTERS?

Club No. 1940491, Area-6, Division D, District-20 http://www.toastmasters.org/

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

TM SABAH AL ISMAIELY CHIEF EDITOR

TM ALI AL ABRI ART DIRECTOR

TM FAHAD AL JADIDI GENERAL REVIEW

TM FATIMA AL HASHMI PUPLIC RELATION

CONTACTS Tel: +968 99277783 E‐mail: ali.abri@omantel.om Add: Omantel HQ PO. B: 789, PC: 112 MCT, Oman

Website: http://www.omantel.om/OmantelToastmasters/CM.htm

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 01

By: TM Sabah Al Ismaily

President Word It gives me a great honor and pleasure to serve as a President of this distinguished Omantel Toastmasters Club. Although our club is most commonly associated with the learning of public speaking, we learn much more than that. Through the experience of regular meetings that are soundly structured around parliamentary guidelines, we also learn to lead meetings, help others through the evaluations, develop new processes and most importantly, improve our listening skill.

At our club, we strive to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to contribute. We also have a Club Mentorship program for any member that needs extra support; our aim is to enrich the experiences of the individual member.

Toastmasters gives us a chance to become better leaders and better communicators through its educational program, namely the leadership track and the communication track starting as a new member and ultimately stretching to be a distinguished member.

In addition to offering a flexible self-paced program where you can acquire effective presentation skills, Toastmasters is a place where you can become confident and persuasive in front of a group, give constructive feedback, and develop leadership skills.

Toastmasters is not just about developing yourself only, it is a place where members can give generously and take graciously. It is about self-actualization, which is described as being the transformation of an individual's potential into tangible skills and enhanced self-confidence. Through this metamorphosis we become more effective in our workplace, community and family.

During a hiring process, it is very common for employers, managers, or leaders to require job applicants to submit a cover letter with their resume. They are asked some relevant and interesting insights about themselves, to prove that they are the right candidate to be chosen for a post, through structured panel interviews. The Ice Breaker (the first project in toastmasters’ competent communication manual) is very much like that; it creates our first impression of ourselves as Toastmasters. Unlike in a job interview, in Toastmasters we are presented with an opportunity each week to grow, acquire new skills and hone skills we already have.

When you are passionate about something, nothing will prevent you from making it real.

How do you define your passion? Is it to discover the power within you? If there is a will there is a way.

Enjoy the gift of Toastmasters “Where Leaders are Made”.

Sincerely,

ACB, ALB Sabah AL Ismaily Omantel Toastmasters President

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 02

What is Toastmaster?

Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Our membership is 292,000 strong. These members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 14,350 clubs in 122 countries that make up our global network of meeting locations.

Membership in Toastmasters is one of the greatest investments you can make in yourself. At $36 every six months (club dues may vary), it is also one of the most cost‐effective skill‐building tools available anywhere.

Competent Leadership

The Competent Leadership manual features 10 projects, which you complete while serving in various meeting roles and participating in other club activities such as helping with a newsletter or getting involved with a membership building campaign. An evaluator will give you feedback on each project, helping you to improve.

Learn about Toastmasters International's educational system and how the Competent Leadership manual fits into it.

Communication Track

Talking on track

Members who wish to focus on communication skills begin with the Competent Communication manual that is included in the New Member Kit. Once they have completed this manual, they can progress to manuals in the Advanced Communication Series.

Competent Communication manual The 10 speech projects in this manual will help you develop your speaking skills one step at a time. When you finish all of the projects, you are eligible for Competent Communicator (CC) recognition. Complete the CC Award Application in the manual and ask your vice president education (VPE) to submit it online to World Headquarters. You'll receive a CC certificate and, if this is your first CC award, two Advanced Communication Series manuals free of charge

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Toastmasters Roadmap

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 04

By: TM. Suhaila Al‐Kindi

OMANTEL SPONSOR’S GAVEL CLUB FOR THE YOUNG AND ENTHUSIASTIC "CAVALIERS"

Gavel clubs are a way of providing Toastmasters’ self-improvement methods and materials to people who may be ineligible for regular membership due to age, inability to pay dues or other circumstances .They are affiliates of Toastmasters International, the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a world-wide reality. Through its member clubs, Gavel club helps the youngsters learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking -- vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

The club consoler CC, CL TM Suhaila Al Kindi might be one of those who talk less but definitely do more. She is certainly an advocate of actions speak louder than words. She together with her Support team: TM Hamed AL Hajri the second consoler, TM Sheikha, TM Sabah, TM Suhail and TM Namirah have started the Gavel Club Smart and Young in July 2013 and was sponsored by Omantel Toastmasters.

“It was a dream come true” said Suhaila” those young kids are our bright future, and the club will help them build skills to become tomorrow’s leaders in business, industry and the community” This club caters to the younger generation age 10- 17 years to improve upon their public speaking skills and is actively involved in its growth in a friendly environment and is open to all Omantel employees’ kids. The program offers many benefits that help people in all walks of life. As a result of participating in Gavel Club, you will: Increase your self-confidence, Become a better speaker, Become a better leader and Communicate more effectively.

Membership is completely free.

Being a member in the club is very simple. All you need is to fill up a membership application form. The present membership of the club exceeds 50. The club holds Bi- weekly Meetings on every 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month from 4:30pm-5:30 pm.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

The seven club officers were elected on 31st October 2013 for the first term 2013- 2014,

Position

Gavelier

Club President Vice President – Education Vice President – Membership Vice President – Public Relations Club Secretary Club Treasurer Sergeant at Arms

Bushra Al Busaidi Amira Al Khanbashi Malak Al Ismaily Abdul Malik Al Ismaily Ghaydaa AL Sulaimany Rawnaq Al Ismaily Wafaa Al Busaidi

“It is really a genius program. Being a parent of cavaliers, I can feel the progress of confidence into them as they become better speakers and leaders.

They learn communication with its guidelines. It teaches them more than what we see in the meetings and speeches. They have to read so they can speak. They have to think before they answer. They have to select right words, and expand their vocabulary so they are definite when they talk.

They have to organize and prepare, so they get rational evaluation. Most of us, the adults, might have participated in similar programs but at later stage of our lives, and maybe for a large cost. Starting at early age is the biggest remark, and amazingly it is almost free" said parents of Gaveliers Bushra, and Wafaa who were elected president of the club and sergeant at arms respectively.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

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Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 07

By: TM Fahad Al‐Jadidi

Annual Toastmasters Ceremony Under the auspices of Engineer. Issam Al Zadjali President of Occidental Oman, Omantel Toastmasters Club held its first annual ceremony.

The ceremony commenced by welcoming guests of honors, club members and all invitees of whom the majority were employees of Omantel. This was followed by a word on gavel club presented by TM. Suhaila Al Kindi, the founder of the club. She shared her experience as a toastmasters club and how it contributed to her success as a public speaker. She emphasized the importance of public speaking among children and how this could lead them in becoming not just public speakers but successful future leaders be it in organizations or in holding political positions in government sector. The talk was followed by two talented gaveliers who stood on stage and showcased their talents by delivering speeches that made everyone impressed with their abilities and skills at such a young age.

Apart from gavel club success, toastmasters club also had to share its success story, with two of its members winning two awards in two different categories. TM.Shaikha Al Hajri, managed to grab the first prize during the contest held in January 2014 to become the winner of International Contest Speech, she has demonstrated several skills such as a clarity and variety of voice tone, body language, body language, expressions and movement around the stage. These are the attributes of professional public speaker. The other category of public speaking in toastmasters was the humor speech, TM. Shair Al Balushi has undoubtedly mastered the skills required at this level and proved to have deserved the first prize. He managed to steel the attention of the audience with the different techniques he used that varied from the voice variety, speech style and the different attire he wore that represented the time-period of the incident he was portraying.

Half wear through the ceremony, the installation of new Omantel Toastmasters Club officers took place, Division Governor TM. Mahmood Al Qassab first called on stage the previous officers and thank them for carrying out their roles, then he discharged them from their duties and responsibilities. This was followed by new officers being called on stage and charged with duties as new officers of the club. TM. Mahmood explained the duties and responsibilities of each officer and each of them gave their consent.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

TM. Sabah Al Ismaily, the new president of Omantel Toastmasters highlighted the benefits an individual would gain when becoming an active member in the club, she added that in today’s world, people require effective communication as well as leadership skills, and this is the area of concern that Toastmasters provide to its active members who seek continuous development in these two core areas. Dr. Amer bin Awadh Al Rawas, Chief Executive Officer of Omantel was the keynote speaker during the ceremony, and he is the prime supporter of the club, and was impressed with the skills of the speakers who demonstrated their talents in the field of public speaking.

He encouraged the employees of Omantel to take part in the club program through membership and wished a continuous development and success for the club and its members.

Towards the end of ceremony Mr. Haitham Al Kharusi Vice President Consumer at Omantel awarded certificates of appreciation to toastmasters’ members who completed a substantial part in toastmasters’ educational program. This was followed

by Dr. Ghalib Al Hosni Vice President Human Resources handing special awards to members who contributed to toastmasters club beyond the boundaries of Omantel Toastmasters Club. Finally, Dr. Amer Al Rawas honored the two winners of International and humorous speech contests. Before the ceremony has adjourned, Dr. Amer Al Rawas awarded a special gift to guest of honor Engineer Issam Al Zadjali

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Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

TM Album

Pg. 09

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

P12

TM. Shaikha al Hajri

THE POWER OF WORDS

By MTM. Shaikha Ali Al Hajri, April 2014 Lots of people think that they are competent communicators and can effectively communicate with others. Joining toastmasters helps in finding out the communication skills gaps that you need to fulfill by practicing and applying communication skills knowledge. Words have power and to find out how powerful your words are and how powerful they can become, you need to join Toastmasters.

Toastmasters offers you the audience who pay attention while you are on stage.

It offers you evaluators who highlight your communication skills’ strength and weaknesses. Toastmasters environment is a very rich community that can offer you exposure to other clubs as well as giving you the opportunity to communicate to various types of audiences and to practice and improve.

It was in my wish list to become a trainer and being a toastmaster gave me the opportunity to conduct educational sessions in three different Toastmasters Clubs (Omantel, SQU and Haya) to different groups of audiences and in both languages; Arabic and English. The biggest opportunity I got was when College of Engineering (Sultan Qaboos University) asked me to conduct a sharing experience session with its students. It was part of “Introduction to Engineering” course and I was requested to share my experience starting from the time I was studying at the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department and then my professional career profile.

Being a toastmaster for more than two years gave me the courage to accept the invitation and the challenge. And the skills I gained from Toastmasters helped me to conduct a “powerful” session (as a feedback I got from the course demonstrator, Mr. Taha Al Sadi). The lessons I shared with the students are as follow:       

ECE gives you variety of job opportunities Education/learning never stop If you don’t know it, then “Google” it Get out of your comfort zone…feel the fear and do it anyway Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you…go after them!!

Be always confident that you can do it Technical Knowledge is not enough….Join SQU TM Club

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

The session was conducted with a presence of 120+ students which was a new and great experience to share my experience with such a big number of people.

At the end of the session I emphasized on the fact that technical knowledge is not enough and recommended SQU Toastmasters Club for the students to join to improve their leadership and communication skills.

We all have great experiences in our lives and if we don’t know how to translate that experiences into words and how to share those experiences effectively with others, then the experiences we have has no power and regretfully it’s a waste that no one can make use of it.

Vice-Chancellor H.E. Dr. Ali Al-Bimani with his guests of TM members

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

O-my Shining Stars!

Taking cue from an inspiring speech given by our Division D International speech champion speaker MTM Shaikha, I can say this to many “shining stars” of this wonderful division ‘D’ of Toastmasters International who helped me to plan out a hic‐up free “OTAC 2014” (Oman Toastmasters Annual Conference).

Our biggest star would be our acting Area Governor of Area 6, who also happens to be the president of Omantel HQ MTM Sabah Al Ismaily. It was her efforts which made it possible for us to have an “entrance fee free” OTAC this year.

Through her we would like to thank the Top Management of Omantel for providing us the wonderful facility for the whole day and providing sumptuous food for the delegates (though some additional veggie dishes would have made the spread more comprehensive) and also sponsoring wonderfully designed crystal trophies for the winners. The cherry on the cake was when Dr. Ghalib Al Housni of Omantel presided over as our Guest of honor and helped us give away the awards to the worthy champions. Thank You Sir, we are honored.

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By: DTM Harish Bilgi

This event was kind of curtain raiser for all of us in our preparation for the DTAC 2014 which is hardly 60 days away (15Th – 17th May 2014), hence we had planned everything in our OTAC as a mini dress rehearsal of DTAC 2014.

We started with a banner march wherein as many as 13 clubs out of 20 from our Division proudly paraded their club banners. The sense of belongingness and camaraderie this parade created was beyond description. It amalgamated different clubs and areas as one single family of Division D, it made us come together on the “road to excellence”(OTAC 2014 Theme) and made us move towards “excelling together” (DTAC 2014 Theme).

This time we had decided to give a visual treat to the audience, hence the entire show was interspersed with beautiful presentations specially created for introduction of various role‐players and contest chairs. Thanks to creative genius of Saud Bahwan’s digital team headed by TM Saiju victor the evening became a magical one. One should also thank wonderful facilities available in the main hall of Omantel; we could make full use of it.

Toastmaster G Kumar, the president of Saud Bahwan TM Club kindly consented to be the emcee for the entire show at eleventh hour. (MTM Hiam of Omantel TM Club was to share the stage with him, but since she was traveling out the country she could not prepare for the show, hence we had to request GK to be the emcee for the entire proceedings). This gifted TM G Kumar who is fondly referred as “thaliva” did not disappoint us; he did a fantastic job in maintaining a “light” atmosphere throughout the session. His fantastic observation/s, his tongue in cheek humor kept the audience in splits.

All the contest chairs, namely TM Saiju Victor for Humorous speech contest (SBG), TM Hamdha AL Shamsi (PASI) for evaluation speech contest, TM Imna (Omantel) for Table Topic speech contest & TM Rajendran Varma (MMTC) for International

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

speech contest, did a fantabulous job in conducting the contest. All these ‘role players’ were my second set of shining stars.

Every contest was closely fought, where each & every contestant came fully prepared, and were completely charged. And to judge such battle of Giants we needed ‘seasoned’ judges, which were handpicked from all areas, we also ensured that every area had equal representation in the judging panel to have impartial and objective judgments. These judges are my third set of “shining stars”

The contestants (32 Nos) had left no stone unturned in their preparation and homework, who came, who spoke and who won hearts of the audience are my fourth set of “Shining stars”. Some of them had created history of sorts by doing the podium finish in their early years of Toastmaster career. Division D is proud of its champions; the list is as follows…

Humorous Speech Contest Evaluation speech Contest 1. Imad Al Hamdani 1. Robert Gordyn 2. Ian Bough 2. Robin Anand 3. Namirah Bhamla 3. Faiz AL Mamari Table Topic Contest 1. Ramakrishnan Vijayan 2. Aliya Al Hinai 3. Nitya Kannan

International Speech Contest 1. Shaikha Al Hajri 2. Robert Gordyn 3. Babu Srinivasan

No event or contest can be conducted smoothly without having a committed team of sergeants. Thanks to Saud Bahwan TM club, Omantel TM Club, NTI club, Royal Hospital Club and many more clubs who had sent contingents of battle ready sergeants. I can’t imagine having a session without the help of this backbone; they also are my Shining stars.

Last but not the least, the audience, our fellow toastmasters who came in big numbers to cheer their fellow club mate/s, their Area mate/s are my brightest shining stars, if they would not have made it braving the flooded wadis, incessant rain and more importantly sacrificing their nice weekend holiday.

O my shining stars, thy presence made OTAC made it extra special jamboree.

Hope to get similar support for yet another ‘MEGA’ show which is knocking our doors viz. the DTAC 2014. Till then signing off as your OTAC 2014 Chair

DTM Harish Bilgi Outgoing 2014 OTAC Chair DTAC 2014: Education Chair

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 16

5 Steps to Better Leadership Charisma

BRIAN EVJE

Leadership charisma and personal charisma are very different things. They both involve the same kinds of personal attributes--the ability to project confidence, the capacity to engage others, skill in articulating ideas, vision, and goals—which may explain why some leaders aim for one when they should be developing the other.

Personal charisma is centered on the individual, as is the case with celebrities.

Leadership charisma exists when a leader is charismatic in the service of the organization, for a greater good, or a higher purpose.

While personal charismatic traits can help a leader, too much of a good thing becomes unhelpful. Leaders who concentrate on constantly influencing others, for instance, may reduce the motivation and ability of their people to stake out their own opinions.

Here are several things to consider when growing your own leadership charisma.

1. Ask yourself: Why? The key to knowing which type of charisma you want to develop is rooted in your understanding of why you want to be more charismatic. You must ask yourself, “Why do I want this?” Do you crave attention, want validation, or are you trying to address some insecurity? Do you want to be magnetic because you think that’s what a leader should be? How does being more magnetic serve your leadership responsibilities? How will this enable you to better serve the organization?

To better attend to your unique burden of being a leader?

2. You must be comfortable in your own skin. This is a broad encapsulation of the vital importance of knowing who you are as a leader, and why you are a leader, before you attempt to change your charismatic capabilities. Your “skin” in this sense is everything from your personal values and drivers to the precise point you currently find yourself in your life’s journey. Ask yourself, “What makes this leadership role at this time in my life the right role for me? How have I prepared? How will I continue to learn?”

Many leaders make the mistake of avoiding these difficult questions and instead focus on external characteristics of charisma. They simply think, “I need to be more persuasive when interacting with my direct reports,” and then go nuts trying to be more persuasive. Nobody likes that. Ungrounded charisma is abrasive and troubling.

(I’ll write about the dangers of charisma in the final installment of this series.) If you do not first determine how you fit into your own skin, it will be painfully obvious.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

3. You must be comfortable in your own body. Effective charismatic leaders have a sense of their physical selves and an ease about how they show up in front of their teams. This is not to say you have be Baryshnikov. But many of the attributes of charisma are expressed physically, and a leader must learn how to literally embody charisma.

How do you physically interact with people? What are you physically aware of when you engage in one-on-one conversations, among a small group, in front of a large audience? How do you modulate your voice, your listening, and your attention? How do you non-verbally communicate your engagement with others? How do you invite others to engage with you? While the research is not universally conclusive, it is clear that the physical, unspoken interactions between people are overwhelmingly influential in human relationships. Leaders who do not work on how they “show up” do so at their peril.

4. Practice, ideally with a Coach. The attributes of charisma contain tangible and intangible elements – and working with a trusted Coach provides a framework for working on both these elements. You need to have an outside perspective on your physical behavior to learn about your internal thought process.

For example, if you want to work on a tangible element of charisma such as public speaking, you must connect the physical work of evolving your voice with the psychological work of why the work matters to you. The recent film about Margaret Thatcher provides an excellent dramatization of a leader taking lessons to improve the tenor and tone of her voice and her ability to speak in public. As a result of this work on her physical voice, Thatcher discovered her “internal leadership voice” that was grounded in her personal convictions. It is a defining moment in her leadership development – and the result of practice.

5. Practice in a safe place. Too many leaders think they can wing it when it comes to developing their leadership. They try new things in front of their teams without first practicing, sometimes without much forethought. Bad idea. Performing well in the moment depends on practicing before the moment.

Practicing in private with a coach provides an opportunity for clarity on your intent, and allows for trial-and-error. While mistakes in public are inevitable and necessary, many mistakes are made much more usefully in private.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

The good news is that if you want to practice leadership charisma, a little goes a long way. You are not endeavoring to call attention to yourself – you are developing new capabilities because your role requires you to shift your focus slightly and exercise these attributes. You don’t have to become someone else or transform yourself. Just find the connection to your organization that will allow you to stretch yourself.

As noted in a recent article on Presidential leadership in The Atlantic, “Not even FDR was FDR at the start.” He practiced, he learned, and he developed genuine leadership charisma. You can too.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

How did they Join Omantel Toastmasters?

Pg. 19

How did I hear about Omantel TM? I was in a GRE class with Bader al Lawati when he approached me one day asking me if I heard of Omantel TM. At that time I didn't even know about TM in general.

So he told me about it and how they are planning to open one at the college I work in.

He invited me to one of the sessions and I joined the same day. It was "my cup of tea" ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

TM Hiyam AL‐Jabri

TM Nabila Al Lawati

TM Syed Hasnain Ali

Two years back, I had to do a presentation in front of lots of people, I got this queasy feeling in my stomach that won’t go away. I didn’t want to eat, I just wanted to cancel the meeting so I don’t have to deal with the stress. My hands sweated before I reached the stage. I felt like I wanted to run away. Although everything went fine, but the feeling of anxiety and the fear of public speaking which is the number one fear in North America was still there! After few months of this incident, I knew about Omantel Toastmaster club and benefits of this club. It gave me the light to the walk in, and I have joined the club since that, in 2013. I have really enjoyed each session of the toastmaster club, and gained a lot of communication and leadership skills. In toastmasters you get mutually positive feedback by members for your speech made.

Toastmaster is a great place to make friends and meet new people. I have met many people through toastmasters, including many people I might not have otherwise had the chance to meet. Currently I have completed 9 projects under Competent Communication in which I got enough confidence to do any presentation no matter how many audience are there. And I have played many roles such as TMOD, evaluator, timer….etc. I have also participated in several contests. I strongly advice all people to join Omantel Toastmaster and get advantages of toastmaster. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

I have joined toastmasters in March 2012. The major reason for me to join Toastmaster was to gain more confidence while being a public speaker and to find ways to improve my speeches as well as leadership skills.

After joining Toastmasters International I gained more confidence, become more accurate in conveying my ideas and speeches and improved almost all the major faults in my speech which I had foreseen before joining Toastmasters. The experience so far is wonderful and although I have completed both CC and CL and just given my Advance 2 speech a few weeks ago, I am still learning.

I will request the newcomers and those who have not joined Toastmasters so far to do join Toastmaster to gain more confidence in life. To achieve your goals and becoming a successful person, you must have enough confidence on yourself and once you are here, you can realize how much potential you already had, but was hidden. People who never thought of talking in front of a group are now confidently giving speeches with eye contact and full confidence which they never though they had but explored once they join Toastmaster. Do join Toastmaster if you think you cannot speak in front of public. Do join Toastmaster if you already are a public speaker to realize there is still room for improvement and to let others learn from your experience.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

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How did they join Omantel Toastmasters?

I am a person who greatly enjoys being on stage to act, gives speeches, and delivers workshops. I love meeting new people from different parts of the world and know about their places and experiences, then know the world itself. This is what Toastmaster offers for all members in an interactive manner. It does give a priceless opportunity to enhance your communication and leadership skills in different levels at home, work and society through the various ideas for preparing and planning different talks, presenting them, and giving feedback. It is time to do it so let’s soar together fellow toastmasters .

TM Isra Al Ajmi

TM. Amna Al‐Risi

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My name is Amna Al-Risi I hold a bachelor degree of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication, At present, I am doing my master degree of business administration in information technology. I have joined Omantel in November 2007 and currently I am under Operations Division in Wholesale Business Unit, I am so glad and I consider myself to be a lucky person that I am a member of Wholesale Business Unit family. I am truly proud to work with such professional managers and colleagues of WBU. I am in Omantel toastmasters club since June 2013, and I have enrolled myself in this club because one day I want to be a very successful women in this world and I am sure that one day my dream will come true. For the purpose of preparing myself to this position I believe that I should have to gain and embrace multiple and different educational background and several skills. One of these skills and the most important one is leadership skills. In order to achieve this, I have registered myself in this club to help me to be capable to present and deliver high quality speeches to audiences with full confidence.

My advice to new joiners is to attend Omantel Toastmaster Club meetings regularly, and I just want to confirm to them that with continuous and regular attendance to toastmasters’ weekly meetings their leadership skills will improve significantly.

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Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

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Spreading the Fragrance of DTAC DTAC PR committee Chair Communicating the updated news about our upcoming District Toastmasters Annual Conference- DTAC 2014 to the concerned shareholders requires a clear mission. Out of such a need, the PR team made it evident that its mission is to publicize, promote and position DTAC 2014 as a unique learning platform that will provide opportunities for education, team building and entertainment in a congenial family atmosphere and create an unmatched toastmasters’ experience.

By: Saleh Al‐Khamyasi

The long awaited District Toastmasters Annual Conference of District 20 will be the platform that will inspire toastmasters from Oman, Bahrain, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and UAE to come to Muscat and enjoy the mega event.

We realized that what needs to be communicated is the uniqueness of the DTAC experience in Oman. It is the touch of hospitality that our visitors and participants are going to be met with. It is the package of the educational experience that will be gifted to them. Why not?

When we have in store for them includes renowned Speakers, learning with fun and entertainment, enjoying the fabulous ambience, the opportunity to enrich their network. All these components will actually culminate to a rejuvenating experience that will take them to a point of no return. It will inspire them to take that leap of faith to be the change they want to see in the world.

For instance our speakers’ panel includes Dr. Amer Al Rawas, CEO of Omantel, the ribtickling humorist Judy Carter and the renowned first runner up of the World Championship of Public Speaking 2013. Besides a wide range of educational sessions that will be thought provoking and eye opening for them.

After setting the mission clear our strategy was to knock the doors of our shareholders who are spread across seven countries. We had to adapt so many approaches such as emails, whatsApp, Facebook, website and even had to attend many areas and divisions contests and passionately delivered presentation to invite wide range of toastmasters to invest the opportunity and book their seat among the participants.

It was our sincere conviction of the mission of our PR team that made us surpass so many obstacles. We had to visualize our success and keep going focussed on our target and deliverables. We believed that our mega extravaganza is about excelling together & thriving on the Power of Team. We made it a point to advocate that our guests will reap the benefits of the following: •

Uplifting & Rib tickling Contests

•

Enriching Educational Workshops

•

Entertaining & joyful Environment

•

Fabulous ambience.

•

Widening the circle of network.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

We kept saying Ooh yes! We are logistically on track to showcase a mesmerizing experience once again because our procession is about team building & servant leadership opportunities. We invited many toastmasters to volunteer and emerge victoriously with an added learning experience. We inspired them that the spirit of Toastmasters is to award people to inspire them. We brought to their attention that at Al-Bustan Palace Hotel we will celebrate your success on grand scale. We kept repeatedly reminding them that in such a highly standard public Speaking they are in treat to enjoy the power of words, vivid images, and rhetorical devices. In fact, they will be invited to a feast of mesmerizing, elevating and soul uplifting language.

Yes it is the uniqueness of our DTAC that will make it a Wow experience. Our DTAC will be weaved with Love and affection. It will be sprinkled with a touch of Omani.

Hospitality. That is why we passionately kept spreading the fragrance of DTAC. We kept telling them that their presence on 15th to 17th of May 2014 at Al-Bustan Palace Hotel will make us rejoice our fraternity. We kept telling them welcome to Muscat serving you gives us utmost joy & delight.

.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 23

Oman Toastmaster Annual Conference

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Area 6 Toastmasters Contests: Showcasing Talents & Igniting Imaginations

On Saturday the 8th of March 2014, Omantel embraced Area 6 Toastmasters’ contests in which five toastmasters clubs were represented. The clubs included Omantel Toastmasters, NTI Toastmasters, NTI Advanced Toastmasters, New Tracks Toastmasters and the recently celebrated SQU Toastmasters club.

The event was part of the ongoing contests that start at the clubs level and then the areas so that the cream of the crops are qualified to compete in the upcoming Division D contests that will take place on 28th of March 2014 so that the emerging winners will eventually represent their division at District 20 Toastmasters Annual Conference (DTAC 2014).

Under the theme “Excelling Together” the district 20 mega event will be celebrated at Al‐Bustan Palace Hotel between 15 to 17 May 2014, Its participants are going to attend from all walks of the district which consists of Toastmasters from Bahrain, Jordon, Kuwait, Qatar , UAE and of course the hosting country the Sultanate of Oman.

The organizing committee of area 6 contests made sure that their event is accommodating to all the representing clubs in terms of participating in different required roles such as the Master of Ceremonies, Contest Chairs, Chief Judges, Judges, Timers, Tally Counters, Photographers and by all means the contestants. The event started with registration and briefings in a friendly atmosphere focused on making this event another success story.

Such an event is considered to be an opportunity for the contestants and the organizing committee members to showcase their area’s talents and give the individual participants an opportunity to stretch out of their comfort zone to make a forward leap towards their desired journey to excellence to be acclaimed speakers.

The event started with the evaluation contest in which the contestants are supposed to compete in the art & style of giving an inspiring and motivating feedback so that their target speaker can enhance his upcoming speech delivery attempts and take his performance to greater heights.

The master of ceremony Nilofer Tanna then paved the way for the rib‐tickling and entertaining humorous contest. It was evident that the humorist contestants came for one purpose that is to make their audience laugh through a self‐emulating style that made them connect with their audience throughout the contest. Their messages were extracted out the ordinary but it was their humorous spirit that made outcomes extraordinary.

The break for prayer and lunch was a moment for networking and catching up with one another.

The second master of ceremony Hiyam Al‐Jabri took over the stage and introduced the contest chair for table topics contest where contestants were to exhibits their talents and ability to speak about an unknown subject and without any prior preparation.

The mother of the speech battles, the international speech contest was the fragrance of the event where the contestants mustered their courage to orchestrate the songs of life.

Their creative messages and inspiring performance made the audience glued to their seat.

Pg. 24

By: TM Saleh Al Khamyasi

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Prior to declaring the winners the DTAC 2014 Public Relations Committee Chair addressed the gathering highlighting that the district mega extravaganza is knocking their door. He elaborated that DTAC this year is going to be hosted by The Toastmasters fraternity in Oman and it will be an uplifting, thought provoking, entertaining and nurturing experience delivered with a touch of Omani hospitality. The Conference three day’s juicy agenda will enable the participants to enjoy an unprecedented experience of widening their network, honing their communication, enhancing their business entrepreneurial skills. It will be an opportunity to reflect and raise the bar to realize their true potential.

The event was concluded by announcing the winners in the four contests and they are as follow:

Contest 1st place Winner 2nd place Winner 3rd Place Winner Evaluation Contest Shaker AL Ansari Namirah Bhamla Nitya Kennan Humorous Contest Faiz Al‐Maamari Imad Al‐Hamadani ‐ Table Topics contest Shaker AL Ansari Ibrahim Akbari ‐ International Speech Sheikha AL Hajri DTM Rajesh Daga ‐

This year Area 6 toastmasters contests witnessed a noticeable progress in terms of the creative and inspiring speech messages, the rib‐tickling humorous touches, the contestants ability to deal with the table topics as well as the quality of the evaluation in terms of the critical skills and positive styles of delivering the feedback which represent core competencies in the Toastmasters education program.

In hosting area 6 Toastmasters contests, Omantel reiterated that being together makes a great difference. The area 6 annual toastmaster’s event was a rewarding and nurturing experience were the courageous contestants tackled it heads on showcasing talents and igniting imaginations.

It is worth mentioning that the area 6 event was attended by many seasoned toastmasters and wide spectrum of audience. In addition to the four main contests there was an education update session as well.

TM Sabah Al‐Ismaily the president of Omantel Toastmasters concluded the event with a word of thanks wishing everyone a safe drive home.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg. 26

ACB, ALB. Sabah Al Ismaily Project‐9, CC manual

“The Moment of Truth…Please Don’t Go”

Suddenly a bizarre feeling came across our hearts; all the four seasons overlapped each on other’s, it was a strange Feeling of suffocation. The beautiful lovely spring we used to enjoy, unexpectedly became dull, cold and gloomy. All fancy flowers, jasmine; orchids start to die out and disappear. The sounds of beautiful birds sadly vanished deep inside the clouds. All small cute fancy colored leaves fell over and everywhere between storms and winds.

With painful feeling inside my heart, I stand alone Looking at spring season packing up all its beautiful and sparking fantastic weather full of rainbow colors, rains, flowers, birds and trees, disappearing away with sadness in their eyes, leaving us behind. With painful feeling inside my heart, I stand alone looking at people faces how they become dull, full of stress and anger like they were carrying a big mountain of problems & difficulties on top of their heads. With plenty of hope I asked the spring season, my friend why did you leave us early this year?

Ahhhh after long sad breath and tears, spring season decided to answer me hoping that I will learn something out of it. He said, my friend I didn’t leave you early, but you people can’t see that I exist; you people destroyed the power of life inside me.

Today people are full time busy, from early morning when they wake up till midnight when they go to sleep. They are always in rush. The environment is not suitable to live in any more, the society became so crowded, traffic everywhere in the street, in the train stations, and in supermarkets, waiting behind long queues for hours to pay bills. People have no patience anymore, damaged roads everywhere, construction of new buildings where you can’t find car parking, and noise everywhere in today’s society.

TMs with full of sadness and anger spring answers; for god sake, Where are the nests inhabited by the birds in your country have gone?

Where is the healthy soil and free lands where flowers, grass and trees can grow freely?

Where is the clean air that all people, animals and planed can breathe freely with no toxins in it?

People are fully busy in the hustle & bustle of life. My friend! People’s feelings start to die slowly over time, and in consequence of that, the percentage of criminals increased, health deterioration increased, child abuse increased, woman get raped often, meaningless wars and killing each other has become like a funny game.

My friend today people don’t have time for themselves and their families how will they have time for me!! I was kept aside for quite a long period of time. Spring paused for a moment and with tears in his eyes he said. Today people can no longer hear the beautiful songs of birds. No more they can see the attractive fancy colors of rainbow. No more they can scent the smell of flowers. No more they can enjoy the golden sand in the beach. People have no time to enjoy the sound of the rain dripping off onto their house callings and windows glass... plinks... drip... plink... finally splashed away with beautiful warm sunny day.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

My friend I distribute this fabulous weather to every country in the world. Without you my friend am useless. I have a language which can be understood by all people in every place and time but I need people to slow down and listen to it. TMs, spring season have a question for you…Are you ready?

Do you know what brings success to your life???

Do you??

My friends, did you know that work, heath, family, friends, spirit are the steps for success and quality living style. Take good care of them.

Bryan Dyson – Former CEO of Coca Cola said:

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be badly, damaged. They will never be the same. Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give the required time to your family, friends, have proper rest and enjoy the spring season.

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

BACKGROUNDER

Pg. 28

2014

Ericsson Oman LLC a renowned corporate in the Sultanate of Oman has been supportive to various initiatives and drives in the development of human resources.

Oman is currently on the threshold of organizing one such Mega Event in the country in the year 2014.

Ericsson was founded in 1876 in Stockholm, Sweden with a vision to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world and is now a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators globally. Over 1,000 networks in more than 175 countries utilize Ericsson network equipment and 40 percent of all mobile calls are made through Ericsson systems and it is one of the few companies worldwide that can offer end-to-end solutions for all major mobile communication standards.

Ericsson in the Middle East: Ericsson has been present in the Middle East for more than 130 years and has been working closely with operators on creating, developing and growing the Information and Communication Technology market in the region. Over the years Ericsson has had activities and operations in all 23 countries in Middle East and offices in 21.

Today there are approximately 5,000 Ericsson employees in the Middle East and we do business with more than 36 operators in the region.

Ericsson in Oman: Ericsson has been actively present in the Sultanate since 1973. On May 14, 1973 the Ministry of Communications of the Sultanate of Oman signed the first telecom contract in the country with LM Ericsson, Sweden, becoming the first project for the company in the Sultanate.

This contract established the first national telephone infrastructure network of 23 automatic exchanges, and a total capacity of 12,000 lines distributed throughout the length and breadth of Oman. Since then, Ericsson has continued to grow in the Sultanate and has signed a number of agreements and partnerships.

www.ericsson.com www.ericsson.com/news www.twitter.com/ericssonpress www.facebook.com/ericsson www.youtube.com/ericsson Ericsson External Communications , Region Middle East E-mail: rmea.media@ericsson.com

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Champions of the Education Program

Pg. 29

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Pg.30

Omantel TM Club Members

Active Members

No

Name

Email

Unit

1

Abdullah Mohamed Ameen

abdullah.lawati2@omatel.om

Integrated Network

2

Abla Salim Al Harthy

abla.Harthi@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

3

Ali Nasser Al Abri

ali.abri@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

4

Ahmed Salim Al Yafai

Ahmed.Yafai@omantel.om

5

Badriya al hassani

badriya.hassani@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

6

Bader Al Lawati

Bader.Lawati@omantel.om

whole sales

7

Elison Songsong

Elison.Songsong@omantel.om

Integrated Network

8

Fahad Issa Al Jadidi

fahad.jadidi@omantel.om

Finance

9

Fahad Hamoud Al Hadhrami

Fahad.Hadhrami@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

10

Fatma Qamar Al Hashmi

Fatma.Hashmi@omantel.om

Integrated Network

11

Fatma al lawati

fatti.lawatiya@gmail.com

Student

12

Hala Abdullatif Al Balushi

hala.balushi@omantel.om

HR unit

13

Hiyam al jabri

hiyamaljabri@gmail.com

School teacher

14

Hittin Bakshi

hitind@yahoo.com

Privet Business

15

Hamad Amour Al Hajri

hamad.hajri@omantel.om

16

Issra Al Ajmi

israa.alajmi22@hotmail.com

Man power

17

Iman Said Ali Al Sawafi

Iman.Sawafi@omantel.om

HR unit

18

Jamal Nasser AL‐Wahaibi

Jamal.Wahaibi@omantel.om

Integrated Network

19

Jabir Al Mujini

Jaber.Mujini@omantel.om

Integrated Network

20

Khalfan Rashid Al Rawahi

khalfan.rawahi@omantel.om

Integrated Network

21

Khoula Salim Habib Al Naabi

Khoula.Naabi@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

22

Laila Essa Abdulla Al Amri

laila.amri@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

23

Maisa Dawood Al‐Zadjali

Maisa.Zadjali@omantel.om

24

Mohammed Al Zadjali

Mohammed.AlZadjali3@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

whole sales

Consumer business unit

Consumer business unit

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Active Members No

Name

Email

Unit

25

Mustafa abdullatif Al balushi

Mustafa.Balushi@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

26

Muhannad Talib Al Saadi

Muhannad.Saadi@omantel.om

Internal Audit Unit

27

Nabila Jawad Al Lawati

nabila.lawati@omantel.om

Integrated Network

28

Najla Khamis Al Bahlouli

Najla.Bahlouli@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

29

Nada al Maeni

nada.maeni@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

30

Namirah Mohammed Iqbal

Namirah.mohammed@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

31

Najla Al Bahlouli

Najla.Bahlouli@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

32

Omaima Habib al Balushi

omaima.balushi@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

33

Osam Darwish al Zadjali

Osama.Zadjali@omantel.om

Integrated Network

34

Praveen

lpraveen333@gmail.com

Rusail industrial

35

Rahma Al Kharusi

Rahma.Kharusi@omantel.om

HR unit

36

Rashid AL Alawi

Rashid.Alawi@omantel.om

Corporate business unit

37

Sabah Abdullah Al Ismaily

sabah.ismaily@omantel.om

Integrated Network

38

Sara Khamis al Saibai

Sara.siyabi@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

39

Shaikha Ali Al Hajri

shaikha.ali.hajri@omantel.om

Integrated Network

40

Syed Hasnain Ali

hasnain.ali@omantel.om

Integrated Network

41

Suhaila Nassir Al Kindi

Suhaila.AlKindi@omantel.om

Finance

42

Sumaiya Sultan Al Rashdi

Sumaya.Rashdi@omantel.om

Internal Audit Unit

43

Sultan Al Ismaily

sultanismaily@gmail.com

Contractor

44

Suhail Mahad AL‐Mashani

Suhail.Mashani@omantel.om

HR unit

45

Shair Al Balushi

Shair_AlBalushi@oxy.com

Occidental

46

Thuraya al harthy

thuraia.harthi@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

47

Tahiya Abdullah Al Rumhi

Tahiya.Rumhi@omantel.om

48

Tawhida Al ismaily

Tawhida.Ismaily@omantel.om

49

Zainab sultan al majali

zainab.majali@omantel.om

Consumer business unit

Consumer business unit Corporate business unit

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Word of Thanks

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Club No. 1940491, Area‐6, Division‐D, District‐20

http://www.toastmasters.org/