Diction by District 20 Toastmasters

ICTion

Writings from the Rostrum

Indian club Toastmasters Club No: 00727851, area 28, Division E, District 20

QUARTERLY Newsletter

2013-14/03

Jan– Mar 2014

INDIAN CLUB TOASTMASTERS SWEEP ALL TOP HONOURS IN AREA 28 CONTESTS

QUICK FINDER President’s Message

Are Leaders Born Or Made?

TM Nirmala Raghuraman

Lasting Happiness Through Toastmastering

TM Surya Narayanan

Synergy

TM Muthukumar G

Discovering the Diamonds

TM Joseph Stanley

Cartoon Corner

TM Raveendra Rao

Balanced Life

TM MS Babu

Know Your Leaders/ICTM Excom/ Upcoming Events

Quality time With A Quality Person TM Nirmala Raghuraman We’re a Select Distinguished Club Be a Dynamic Leader

12-13 14

DTM Ponnuchamy

Days to Greet/ New Member/ Club Info The Subconscious Mind

9-10

15 17

TM Anita Samanta

Club Contest Winners

Going Places

Area 28 Contest Winners

My Role as Sergeant@Arms

TM Muthuramalingam

Editor’s Message

20 21

Toastmaster Mission: The mission of a TOASTMASTER CLUB is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. ************************************************************************ INDIAN Club Toastmasters strives to provide an environment for learning and growing the skills to be successful in personal and business life.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TM ANAND LASHKARI- CC,CL

Dear Indian Club Toastmasters, Hooray!! It was splendid experience to witness our club contest that concluded in very high spirit. This was possible only because of support and guidance from senior TMs, consistent engagement and contribution from all role players, and the external judges who contributed their skill to identify best of the best. Also, I cannot forget to thank all participants who stood up and decided to challenge their abilities and took part with great enthusiasm. All in all, all went well with great deal of learning and team work. During recently concluded area 28 contest, our TMs from Indian Club out performed and snatched first title in all four categories to represent area 28 in the upcoming TACQ in April. We have set record by this performance. Let’s applause our TMs. TM Shanmuga Sundaram and TM Sheik Abdul Kader’s success and wish them best of luck to win at Division level too. Our Club is soaring high also on our DCP status. As per our calculation, we are now at 7 DCP points which is SELECT DISTINGUISHED CLUB status. This was again possible as all of us have taken our goal with right spirit and supported positively. Three more points to earn. Are you all ready for that? In this quarter, our two esteemed TMs have earned their titles in Advance series; they are TM Raghavendra and TM Sheik Abdul Kader. Congratulations to them. We are now cruising through to the last quarter of this TM year. Soon we will have new leaders to take over the reins of our club. All TMs who are ready to take up this challenge must start thinking over it and be in touch with current excom so that we know your desire. All is well and going well, we can’t ignore that we have suffered some losses. Our VP Membership, TM Pradeep Kumar has recently left Qatar and hence our club too. We have lost one of our strong team members and an Excom member. Let’s wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Although we have so far 7 new members in this year, we have lost almost same number of members too. I wish to remind you all to support the club by introducing ATLEAST ONE member to our club. Please check whether you have played your part. I am happy to see DICTION-3 being published on time with progressively improved design. This is only because of enthusiasm of TM Nirmala and TM Suryanarayanan and of course support from all contributors. Before I conclude, I would like to encourage all of you to involve in our club with recharged energy, innovative ideas and successful attempts. Thanking you all. Wish you all have great time and success all the time. 3

Are Leaders Born or Made? TM Nirmala Raghuraman. CC, CL, VP-PR

BEFORE

AFTER

Before joining toastmasters, I was strongly believing that people born with intelligence and luck are made as leaders. They are above all comparisons. They are the very important persons in the society. They are great orators and they have inborn qualities which lifted them in their life. So, they are in the limelight always, I thought. I was totally wrong. After joining toastmasters I realized that Leaders are made. They are recognized because of their hard work, sincerity and dedication. Above all, their dedication and thirst to achieve the greater heights helped them to reach their goals. Their qualities, attitude, smartness, ambition are well received and recognized by everyone surrounded by them. Today, I have completed my CL and I also feel so proud to be recognized as a Leader in toastmaster circle. ***************************************************************************************

Quotes about Podium

TM Nirmala Raghuraman. CC, CL If you talk to most athletes, the place you're most comfortable is your playing field. I'm not so comfortable at a podium or talking about events. Bobby Orr I’ve learned that winning isn’t everything, and it’s more about the journey. But at the end of the day, I just want to stand on the podium with the gold medal. Hope Solo In some ways, that’s the story of my season – when I wasn’t making big mistakes, I was winning races and being on the podium. And when I made mistakes I was still fourth or fifth, just off the podium. Bode Miller 4

Lasting Happiness Through Toastmastering TM Surya Narayanan CC, VP-Education Endless happiness and eternal bliss. That’s what we all live for and long for right? While many of us may think ‘eternal’ happiness is just a mirage or a philosophy that is disconnected from the real and material world, I do hope at least some of you will agree with me when I say that happiness that is lasting, if not endless, is very much within our grasp, provided we have the right attitude and act in the right manner. Recently, I read a book Contagious Optimism by David Mezzapelle, wherein he describes the 10 Habits of Happy People. I’ve taken the liberty to change the sequence, with a specific reason: Sharing Our Stories Being a Better Listener Smiling More, Frowning Less Turning Envy and Jealousy into Energy Remembering the Past Isn’t a Blueprint to the Future Not Blaming Others for Your Problems Practicing Positive-Forward Thinking Being Grateful Forgiving Exercising and Following a Healthy Diet While none of these is exactly new, when internalized in combination, these can do wonders, as the author says with conviction. When I read this list of 10 habits, I found that the first six are the pillars on which Toastmasters is built. We join toastmasters to become effective communicators, by giving and listening to speeches. Toastmaster manuals urge us to incorporate our personal experiences and life incidents in our speeches, as much as possible. Humour is often an underlying factor in our speeches and when a fellow toastmaster delivers an outstanding speech, we don’t envy them but learn from them. Seeing others grow and develop into better communicators and leaders gives us the confidence that we can also achieve the same or even do better. Evaluation, the unique feature of toastmasters, is never a post-mortem nor an exercise to criticize and condemn a speaker. The intention is always to suggest areas and ways for improvement and to help the speaker deliver a better speech next time around. So if we practice the toastmaster essentials not only in our toastmaster life, but in all walks of life, we would firmly be on the path of lasting and contagious happiness. Isn’t that an incentive enough to become and remain a lifelong toastmaster?? 5

Synergy TM Muthukumar G. Synergy means that the whole is great than sum of its parts. Synergy is everywhere in nature. If two plants are close to each other, the roots comingle and improve quality of soil so that both plants will grow better than if they were separated. To have great life, Synergy between soul and body, Synergy between health and wealth, between action and thought, between mind and feeling, between self and family, between self and society should happen. The way that a man and woman bring a child into the world is synergistic of two different strengths. Then what about social, mental and emotional differences? They not only source of creating independence but also the basis for interdependence. Our society is classical example of interdependence. The material world, whatever we use, all are from societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interdependence. We can show our gratitude to society by repaying our Due to society which is called duty and this is synergy. Similarly if we find the synergy between content and delivery in our Toastmaster speeches and thereby connect with the audience, we can create wonders like TM Shanmugam and sheik did last week.

Ralph C. Smedley Quotes 1. A speech without a specific purpose is like a journey without a destination. 2. The unprepared speaker has a right to be afraid. 3. Toastmasters is learning through doing and improving through criticism. 4. Imagination takes the common place and glorifies it. 5. We learn best in moments of enjoyment.

Discovering the Diamonds TM Joseph Stanley, CC, ALB Past President of Indian club, Past Area Governor (Area 28) All around the world, every club, during contest session, will surely find its DIAMONDS. I have had the opportunity to see many such Diamonds being discovered in the past 8 years. The Diamonds that come to my mind are Raveendra Rao, Prasanth, Manish Shah, Sheiik Abdul Kader, Karthik and the latest ones in Shanmugam, Surya and Ravi. When we find diamonds, we need to support them as club members and mentors by giving them effective evaluation. Like a diamond, which gets its true value after polishing, at Indian Club we help our members find their true value. That’s the reason, today Manish Shah, Sheiik Abdul Kader & Karthik are our sparkling speakers. I feel the biggest corporation in Diamonds business is not DeBeers but Toastmasters International, having mining in 122 countries and every year finding two Kohinoor diamonds among diamonds – One, the International Champion Speaker and the other one, the International President.

Be prepared to shed your DIRT to find the DIAMOND in you. ****************************************************************************************************

FOUNDER MEMBERS AND VANGUARDS OF OUR CLUB

TM HPS BHULLAR

TM ANITA SAMANTA

TM RAGHVENDRA

WE ARE THANKFUL TO THESE LEADING LIGHTS, THAT CONTINUE TO GUIDE US.

TM RAVEENDRA’S CARTOON CORNER

GUESS WHO?

To reach the venue on time for the contest, our senior dedicated toastmaster Dr. Sampath Sowrirajan is using his two wheeler. Get inspired by him.

SHOWING TRUE COLLARS!! Collar mic glitches seen during some of the recent contests seem to have prompted TM Raveendra to come up with this cartoon. I think those two are the Contest Chair and the Chief Judge trying to placate an irate contestant. Hats off to TM Raveendra for his wonderful creation. Let’s ensure that the mic systems are ok when the heavyweight speakers are around!!! Hahahaha………. By, Nirmala. (Send in your comments about the cartoons).

Balanced Life DTM. Dr. MS Babu

People from every corner of the globe feel as if their lives are out of balance. Whether we work, go to school, are retired or not, we all have responsibilities. Most of us would agree that a well balanced life is essential for personal effectiveness, peace of mind and living well. There are 4 areas every one of us need to focus, (a) society, (b) Individual’s family, (c) professional life and (d) personal life. Robert Fulgham says “Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some…” Yes, how we could achieve this balance in life, joy, satisfaction, peace and fulfillment in each of the 4 areas of our lives. It’s possible if we develop the following 5 qualities, viz. (i) Equanimity, (ii) Mind control, (iii) Expect the unexpected, (iv) Be healthy and (v) Prioritize. (i) Equanimity “We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves”…… Francis J. Braceland One should develop the courage to face everything in life with a smile of happiness. In this world, it is natural that gain and pain alternate. We cannot avoid it. Do not despair when adversities confront you nor exult when success blesses you. Any adversity is a stepping-stone to success and ultimate peace. We have to develop equanimity in both joy and sorrow. It is the true sign of wisdom.

Continued on next page

(ii) Mind Control “The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind is the weak one”….. Wallace D. Wattles Be organized and plan ahead. Take time at the beginning of each week to assess what needs to be done. Make a to-do list in a planner or calendar for upcoming appointments, exams or any assignments or projects. Be sure to assign recreation and quality time for yourself and your family as well. Remember that taking time to connect with family and friends will recharge your batteries and make you more efficient in the long run. (iii) Expect the Unexpected Rather than get stressed and upset, allow yourself to roll with the punches when something you have no control over happens. You may get stuck in traffic, your computer could crash or your child could get sick. It can happen. We've all experienced the unexpected. If you accept that anything can happen at any time, it's less likely that it throw you off your stride. Be able and ready to adjust your game plan. iv) Be Healthy We cannot accomplish anything if we are unhealthy. Get plenty of rest, exercise and eat properly. We can get away with junk food and no exercise and sedentary life style for some time, till you are of mid age, say 40s these days; but it can become an issue at a later stage. It is better (to set aside time each day for an activity that you enjoy, such as walking, working out or listening to music. Or, allow yourself to unwind after a hectic day by reading, meditating or taking a nice shower. (v) Prioritize Balance doesn't mean doing everything you can or you dream for!!!. Examine your values and decide what's important to you, then set your boundaries. Depending on what stage you're at in your life, your focus and energies will be different. Try not to become overwhelmed by juggling too many big projects in your life at once. Not knowing what you want and trying to do everything at once can be a disaster. Try not to bite off more than you can chew. Prioritize the objectives and focus on achieving one after the other. Conclusion My dear friends, while we can't anticipate and plan for everything in our lives, we can decide how, where and when to concentrate our energies. Consciously try to develop the above 5 qualities and imbibe into our routine. This may require some critical thinking and problem solving, but in the end it will lead to much less stress and a well balanced life. Henri Matisse said “What I dream of is an art of balance”. Let everyone of us dream of achieving Balanced Life and truly achieve it!!!!! 10

KNOW YOUR LEADERS District 20 Governor: DTM Victoria Ferrer Mustafa LIEUTENANT Governor Education & Training: TM Subha Anupindi Division E Governor: DTM Saquib Raza Khan Assistant Div. E Governor Education & Training: TM Nasimudheen Assistant Div. E Governor Marketting: TM Shyam Sundar Division E PRO: TM Thomas Joseph Area 28 Governor: TM Rauf Ahmed Shahzad

THE ICTM EXCOM—ALWAYS AT YOUR SERVICE POSITION

NAME

MOBILE NO.

E-MAIL ADDRESS

PRESIDENT

TM ANAND LASHKARI

66576897

anand_lashkari@hotmail.com

VP-EDU

TM SURYA NARAYANAN

66737632

purya2001@hotmail.com

VP-PR

MTM NIRMALA RAGHURAMAN

77142936

excitingexpeditor@gmail.com

TREASUERER

TM MANISH SHAH

55658076

manish13a_shah@rediffmail.com

VP—MEM

VACANT

SECRETARY

TM RAJSHEKHAR KALYANSHETTI

55878931

Rajshekhar.kalyanshetti@yahoo.com

S-A-A

TM MUTHU RAMALINGAM

33593918

muthu5248@gmail.com

IMM. PAST PRESIDENT

TM SHEIK ABDUL KADER

66896379

sheik_asmi@yahoo.co.in

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. Area 18 Annual Conference is scheduled on 4th April 2014. 2. TACQ is planned on 25th and 26th April, 2014. Day 1 will be in Al Dostur Hall inDukhan and Day 2 at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Doha. Registrations open: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/toastmasters-annual-conference-qatar-2014tac-q-2014-registration-9903890804

3. DTAC is slated to be held during 15-17 May, 2014 at Al Bustan Palace, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Registration open: https://t.co/dijwSSVBFJ

Quality Time with a Quality Person

An interview by TM Nirmala Raguraman, VPPR Thirty minutes with someone who has been a toastmaster for thirty three years . As I heard that he is on business visit to Doha, dialed his number for appointment. The simplicity and cheerfulness in his voice drew me to towards him. With heavy heart beats and after 30mts journey, I reached his office. His hospitality, his friendliness, his frankness and his down to earth nature were amazing. I was so delighted to speak about his records. The person whom I am complementing a lot is known to many senior toastmasters in Doha. He is the first Distinguished Toastmaster in Bahrain and may be in the Gulf. He is a philanthropist and social worker. As many spouses discourage toastmasters, we were surprised to hear that his wife Mrs. GeethaRani Ponnuchamy is also Distinguished toastmaster in Bahrain and she was the first woman DTM in Bahrain. This couple is a true inspiration and motivation to all of us. He is the person who conducted first youth leadership program in Bahrain in 1988. He has visited toastmaster clubs in Philippines , Singapore and Malaysia to get motivated. My sincere thanks to his committed replies for my untiring questions. He was spontaneous, flawless and enlightening. Guess Who??? An Interview with Gulfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First DTM Ponnuchamy

Q1.

What made you to join Toastmasters movement? There was no other education opportunity in Bahrain when I landed in 1981. So to educate myself continuously, I joined in toastmasters. Continued on next page

Q2.

Recollect your initial days in toastmasters. I started as Sgt-at-arms, Every Saturday, I used to get a drop at 4.30 pm by our company vehicle at the School where we usually met. I cleaned and arranged meeting hall and then went home, prepared tea or coffee and brought it to the meeting. School Watchman thought that I was the cleaner. I stitched my first coat to follow the dress code, but some members objected to my brown suit and asked me to buy a formal black suit. Since I did not have enough money to stitch another one, I brought a motion to have choices in dress and it was passed by the members at the business meeting. We used to have very good time in toastmasters. Over time, I served in all positions including Club President.

Q3.

When did you achieve your DTM? In Feb 2002, after 19 years, I received my DTM.

Q4.

Why did you take so long to achieve DTM? Things were different then. We had to complete 15 Project speeches from the Basic Manual (in fact you will have to give some 30 mins speeches) to complete CC, then 3 manuals of 5 speech each for ATM, then another for ATM Bronze and another 3 manuals for ATM Silver, then you need to do other associated training manuals including High Performance Leadership.

Q5. We heard your Spouse is also DTM, how do you motivat her? Yes, when I was the President of Manama Toastmasters in 1988, I inducted her and she was the first lady to join toastmasters in the Gulf, I think. She is the first woman DTM of Bahrain. She is a self motivated individual, prolific speaker, trainer, leader etc., etc., Being an English Professor, she fell in love with Toastmasters. Q6. Give some tips to toastmasters to speedup the journey to achieve DTM? I do not like to hear that phrase “Speed Up”. Because I advise everyone to go for an in-depth education. Education is always slow. A grand old Oak tree cannot be grown over night and similarly, mind cannot be matured over night. It takes a long time and education is a continuous process and we learn until we leave this world. Moreover, Toastmasters is a self education program and one should enjoy the journey. Be sincere and true to yourself. Q7. How do you define toastmasters forum before 2000 and after 2000? Up to 2000, concentration was on the quality as well as increase the member clubs and toastmasters were quite sincere and serious. It was a kind of family atmosphere. Now the concentration is on quantity and glamour and that quality is missing. Q8. What is your advice to new toastmasters? I will advice them to understand the real meaning of toastmasters first and then only one can enjoy the journey of toastmasters. Toastmasters is not like swallowing a pill, its like chewing a gum. Retain as long as possible. It’s a fun. Enjoy, relax and intricate yourself. 13

WE’RE A SELECT DISTINGUISHED CLUB With the two DCP points from the recent ACB achievement of TM Sheik and ACS achievement by TM Raghavendra, ICTM has achieved Select Distinguished Club status for the term 2013-14. With three months to go, we’re on course to achieve the coveted Presidents Distinguished Club status, which we last achieved in the term 2008-09, under the stewardship of TM Anita Samanta. We’ shall not rest or relax till we get there.

Be a Dynamic Leader! A. Ponnuchamy, DTM Past District Governor Always say ‘yes’ to leadership. As you take on the responsibility of a leader, be it as club President, Area Governor, Division Governor, District Governor, Area Contest Chairman or Chairman of any committee, your learning potential and the resulting confidence are bound to skyrocket. Accomplishing your mission as a leader might seem to be a Herculean task if you want to shoulder all the responsibilities by yourself. If you believe in the power of motivation, delegation and team work, then nothing can compare to the sense of satisfaction and elation when your team achieves your goals progressively. Of course, it is bound to be as trying in the process as it will be rewarding in the end. President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam says success in any endeavor is like climbing a mountain. It is pointless to leap to the peak "without experiencing the sides’. The sides of the mountain sustain life, not the peak. This is where things grow, experience is gained and technologies [techniques] are mastered." As we are inundated with responsibilities, from every quarter – family, friends, work and other social commitments, the going might get tough; team members may not come up to our expectations; we might run behind schedule. To avoid such frustrations, while delegating responsibility, identify the strengths of your team members and assign work accordingly, so he/she will take pride in their achievement and the team can accomplish its mission, too. One sure tonic that will boost you along the way as you slog, prod and struggle to achieve your goals is enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm is contagious. If you exude enthusiasm, other members cannot but respond in a similar fashion. As you toil for success, if your willingness to work for your goals remains steadfast, and in true Toastmasters’ style if you evaluate your successes and failures every step of the way and learn from your mistakes, you are sure to succeed. It is also extremely important to recognize the accomplishments of your team members, however small the accomplishment may be. Be generous and genuine in your praise of each member’s achievements. A word of thanks by email or a phone call or a round of applause at the meeting ought to go a long way in achieving the remaining goals. It is vital not to steal the credit from someone else. As a Chinese philosopher once said, “a good leader is one, who, when the task is accomplished says, we have achieved together.” Leading your team is going to be a truly life-altering experience, as our International President DTM Jon Greiner says: “Toastmasters - changing lives, one at a time.” The challenges this role is going to present are sure to enhance your personality, change your life, leaving you charged and confident, turning you into a dynamic leader ready to extend the benefits of toastmasters to your family and friends, helping them change their lives, too. Enjoy your leadership experience! 15

DAYS TO GREET

S.NO NAMES

BIRTHDAY

ANNIVERSARY

TM SURYA NARAYANAN

16-APRIL

TM NIRMALA RAGHURAMAN

30-APRIL

TM M.S.BABU

23-MAY

TM MUTHU RAMALINGAM

24-MAY

TM SHANMUGAM

07-MAY

TM SHEIKH ABDUL KADER

10-JUNE

30-APRIL

WECOME NEW MEMBER TO THE FAMILY With the sincere efforts of Excom and other toastmasters of our club, we could successfully induct one member in the third term, TM Uttam Vaidya. Full credit goes to TM Rajshekhar, who introduced him to our club. Let’s continue with the same spirit of introducing at least one member in each club meeting. Lets us welcome TM Uttam Vaidya and wish him happy Toastmastering.

TM Uttam Vaidya

OUR CLUB INFORMATION        

Chartered in October, 2004 (Club No. 00727851) Presently part of Area 28 under Division E, District 20 219 Meetings held so far Present club strength of 28 Members Meetings on second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, between 7.15 p.m. & 9.15 p.m. Regular meeting venue at Indian Centre, Doha, Qatar Current DCP Status (2013-2014): Select Distinguished Club Contact Nos.: +974-66576897/66737632/33593918 16

The subconscious mind TM Anita Samanta, CC, ALB

A few weeks ago I was reading the book â&#x20AC;&#x153;the power of your subconscious mind" written by Dr James Murphy, which has inspired me to write this article. What is the subconscious mind? You can say that it is like a storage space which stores all of a person's life's previous experiences, beliefs, memories, skills, etc. The best way to understand the subconscious mind is to look at the example of the person who wants to learn how to drive a car. In the beginning he would not be able to hold a conversation with anyone while driving as he would be focusing on the different moves involved. That's because he is still using his conscious mind to drive. But after a while, these moves are embedded in his brain, and he starts driving using his subconscious mind. The subconscious mind becomes the auto-pilot! Dr Murphy talks about various techniques that can be used to remove the mental blocks that stand between us and our goals. These are based on the principle that if we believe in something without reservation, and picture it in our mind, our belief becomes a reality! The subconscious mind is so powerful, it believes what you visualise in your conscious mind! If you joke in your conscious mind that you are idiot, the subconscious mind does not understand that it is a joke, and it will believe that you are an idiot. So it is very important that we always think positive, which will fuel up the positiveness in the subconscious mind. Many times in life we create situations in our life by our negative, denying thoughts. A person who thinks that he is sick, and feeling weak, may end up curled on the bed, although he is not actually sick. On the contrary, a person who is running high fever may be out at work because he tells himself everything is fine with him. Like I said before, the subconscious mind does not have any reasoning skills, it believes the conscious mind blindly, and reacts. So, I would like to conclude by saying that whatever hurdles or shortcomings you face in life, make sure that the negative thoughts and vibrations do not reach your subconscious mind. Fill your conscious mind with all positive thoughts and energy, your subconscious mind will take care of the rest and success will not be very far away!

CLUB CONTEST WINNERS

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST

1.ShunmugaSundaram 2.RajsekarKalyanSheety 3.NirmalaRaghuraman. HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST

1.SheikhAbdulKader 2.Rajsekar Kalyanshetti 3.Karthiksundaram Sai TABLE TOPICS CONTEST

1. Shanmuga Sundaram 2.Suryanarayanan 3.Ravishankar EVALUATION CONTEST

1. Shanmuga Sundaram 2. Joseph Stanley 3. Suryanarayanan

GOING PLACES

Some of our members attended the Communicate@Corporate Workshop by Toastmaster Tareq from Saudi Arabia, organized by our Area 28 &51 at Oryx Rotana Hotel in December 2013. We are so glad to organize sponsors for the event and our members contributed to big in numbers. During this event, our Club President and VP Education received the Distinguish Club Certificate from TM Nasimudheen, ADGET, Division E.

We also attended a Workshop by DTM Sujith Sukumaran in Oryx Rotana Hotel organized by Division E.

Our Club members attended a workshop on Negotiation skills by DTM Prasad Sovani, organized by Area 52.

WINNERS OF AREA 28 CONTEST-2014 TM SHANMUGA SUNDARAM CHAMPION IN INTERNATIONAL SPEECH TABLE TOPICS AND EVALUATION

TM SHEIKH ABDUL KADER CHAMPION IN HUMOROUS SPEECH

Both the stars of Indian club impressed and entertained audience with their extraordinary skills and speech. They made Indian club and its members proud and made our flag fly high in the contest. Wishing both of you good luck in the Division contest and thereafter at the District Contest in Oman.

My Role – as Seargent@arms TM Muthuramalingam ‘’Doha’s

weather report is showing a steep rise in heat; but your heart’s weather report will now show a warm welcome to Indian Club Toastmasters’’.

My role as Seargent at arms begins by giving an enchanting welcome to all members and distinguished guests with all pre-arrangements being done. How much I was enthusiastic and excited playing this role at almost all meetings, I believe 26 alphabets in English will not be enough. Such supportive minds of all club members in carving me for this role was extraordinary. I believe ‘Sear gent at arms’ is one Excom role which gives anyone the opportunity for the first step to a leadership role at Club level. Having digested the fruit of this role for almost a year, I feel greatly embraced, at this point of time. I take this opportunity to thank all members, distinguished guests and specially our dear President TM Anand Lashkari, for making all club meetings a wonderful experience at order easing my job. To sum up, If I would be asked about two things which I personally learnt from this role is ‘Leadership by serving’ and ‘Being proactive’. I lay down Kudos to Indian Club Toastmasters.

Editor’s Message As the VPPR of the club, it is a great privilege and pleasure for me to release this news letter. This would not be so attractive and successful without your cooperation and support. I convey my heartfelt gratitude to all of you as sending your articles within the correct time helped editorial team to work on it with more enthusiasm. Thanks to all toastmasters for responding to my calls and e-mails and showing great interest in bringing up this “Diction 3”. In the editorial team, we have wonderful persons like TM Anand Lashkari and TM Suryanarayanan who are really hardworking and backbone for me. Their guidance and encouragement are to be remembered at this juncture. Always-yesAnand and Grammar-king Surya ’s contributions need to be highlighted. My special thanks to DTM Ponnuchamy for the remarkable interview. He has volunteered to send two more articles for our Diction and it shows his level of involvement in toastmasters. Thanks for the hospitality and fine gesture. I request one and all to kindly go through the articles and give your feedback. Your feedback are encouragements to writers and your suggestions are steps for improvement for the budding writers. I do understand that toastmasters are busy with their routines, Still try to find some time out to go through the newsletter. We have given our best to make this newsletter reader-friendly. Awaiting for your feedback. You can write to us either through our website https:// indianclubtoastmasters.shutterfly.com/signup or through e-mail (excitingexpeditor@gmail.com). PLEASURE TO SERVE YOU ALL. Regards, Nirmala Raghuraman, CC, CL VPPR-Indian Club.