IIT TM Newsletter Oct-Dec 2020

DISTRICT 82 DIVISION C I AREA C1

CLUB NEWSLETTER OCT-DEC 2020 IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL MISSION We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL VALUES Integrity Respect Service Excellence

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL ENVISIONED FUTURE To be the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership skills development.

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

WELCOME TO IIT TOASTMASTERS! IT'S BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE Since its inception 5 years ago under the guidance of charter president TM Hiranya Samarasinghe, IIT Toastmasters has rapidly evolved into the club it is today, and saw some even more rapid development during 2020.The adaptation to online meetings and virtual club activities has been a very strange experience, especially for our speakers, but we have been able to adapt, even thrive, in this new environment. We're looking forward to seeing what 2021 has in store for us!

Meet us at Informatics Institute of Technology, No 52, Ramakrishna Road, Wellawatte However, during COVID restrictions you'll find us easier to reach online through our Facebook, Instagram, or Email!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Executive Committee

Message from the president

Our last quarter: Photospread

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Lessons of being VPE TM Asiri Ekanayake

Member of the Quarter

IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Club Accomplishments

Why is Public Speaking Important?

TM Nazhim Kalam

Member Accomplishments

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Fully embracing the spirit of meetings

Next Quarter

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2020/2021

President TM Kumuditha Perera +94 76 809 8182

Vice President Education TM Asiri Ekanayake +94 76 398 3757

Vice President Membership TM Muiz Uvais +94 76 535 7344

Vice President Membership TM Sheruni Fernando +94 76 540 8855

Vice President Public Relations TM Paramie Jayakody +94 71 997 5995

Secretary TM Gibran Kasif +94 76 328 1115

Treasurer TM Danuja Silva +94 76 172 1146

Sergeant At Arms TM Ammar Raneez +94 76 432 0855

Immediate Past President TM Tisal Thenuwara +94 71 158 2722

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT TM KUMUDITHA PERERA

Hello there, I’m Kumuditha Perera, the current president of IIT Toastmasters club. As uncle Ben said with great power comes great responsibility, this meant so little when I was small. Now as a president I realized the power I hold and the burdens and responsibilities I must carry. I knew very little about being a president so when I become the president, I think that I have grown in more than one way facing different challenges and problems every day. And I’m glad that I got the opportunity to be the president for this club as this is the club that gave me the courage to step forward and be a leader on many occasions here at IIT and face the challenges I have faced up till now in order to grow. In life you will be presented with opportunities to have power and responsibility, all that matters is how you are going to use it and how you are going to grow as a person because of it and toastmasters gave me this opportunity to the leader I am today.

Chin up and never blend in, Kumuditha Perera

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THE CURSE OF THE VPE -TM ASIRI EKANAYAKE

Being the Vice President Education aka the VPE of a Toastmasters Club is definitely not an easy responsibility to take up. From finding speakers every week for a meeting to postponing your own speeches because you have given away all the slots, IIT VPEs have had their fair share of trials and tribulations but also victories and accomplishments. “It wasn't my first experience with that kind of a responsibility in a club, but it was my first leadership role in Toastmasters. It was quite a serious role which I had to play with regards to the fun we had at the club!Getting people on stage was difficult, especially those who had never done a speech in their life, but thanks to the fun environment we always had comforted most first-time speakers enough to try giving a speech! Some even ended up finishing the Competent Communicator manual during their four years at IIT Toastmasters!It was very gratifying to see people who struggled at first taking big steps such as competing in area competitions, taking up club executive committee roles and also seeing exceptionally talented people at your club winning divisional level places and being able to mentor them to sharpen up their game tad-bit-more.�

-TM Vishwa (VPE 2015-2016)

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB “One of the main tasks as VPE was to get speeches for the next week and to see who needs to do speeches and who can be on hold etc. If there is someone who is almost going to complete their speeches, then we try to give them more priority over others because that means more points for the club. That's just one example. I also had to compile and make the agenda so I will have to get the names of the people doing the speeches and the people who will be doing roles too. VPE does most of the background work of what happens in a meeting and the planning parts of it so it's a very active role almost every week but very fun at the same time.

I can’t recall facing any major challenges, but we did win the Smedley membership ribbon that year which was exciting.

Overall, I'd say the role consists of a lot of coordination between you, the members and the exco. Like I said, it's a very active role where your involvement is crucial for every meeting.”

-TM Isira (VPE 2016-2017) “I was always told that being in the TM Exco was like being in a team, like the President is supposed to be the face and the VPE is like the nervous system. They’re the ones that connect everyone, because the VPE gets involved in a lot of things. That was kind of my experience too because even though I was VPE I was involved in a lot of stuff because I wanted to learn as much as I could. I got involved in every single role except Secretary. Because of that, I have an overall view of the entire Exco. I know how the membership process works, how renewals work, I know how the Education program works, I learned how Pathways work and I got a lot of inside info on the President’s side as well back then.

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

That was my overall experience, I feel like I did a lot of work, more than what was required of me, but still if I had to do it again, I’ll do it.

When we started our year, we started with the promise that we’ll be a trailblazer for everyone else to follow, that we would set new limits and new standards.

That is exactly what we did at the end of the year. We achieved the President's Distinguished for the first time, we were first in a lot of things and to this day that standard is getting carried. We really did set the standard and that is something I’m really proud of.”

-TM Tisal (VPE 2017-2018) “It was super hectic at first because you feel like you are thrown a whole lot of responsibilities all at once. I didn’t know much stuff about being VPE, I had to book Tisal (immediate past VPE for me) for days to get to know about Pathways which was so new at the time, not many people knew how it worked. We had a few hiccups in the Exco but overall, I think we did a pretty good job throughout the year.

Other than that, because I’m not a pushy person, it was hard to get people to talk and do prepared speeches. Usually, we would have maybe one or two prepared speeches at a meeting. Sometimes there weren’t any prepared speeches at all! Even the role players, it was hard to get people to volunteer. There was an empty role player list almost every day. So, I think that was one of the hardest things I had to deal with, but in the end, the club achieved the President's Distinguished.”

-TM Kumuditha (VPE 2018-2019)

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Becoming VPE was not a part of the plan for me.

Unfortunately, there was a need for someone to step up to the position very early in our year, and that's how I ended up there.

The role is not easy because you are the person everyone comes to for solutions and there is a huge learning curve. It seems very simple to those on the outside because you are always in the forefront and people assume that's all the job requires but there is so much more work that is expected of you to keep the club running smoothly. Even though I didn't realize in the beginning, being in this role was such a blessing for me personally.

The reason I joined TM was because I had a fear of public speaking and a lot of social anxiety, even by the end of my first year in TM I didn't think I was ever going to be comfortable on a stage. Then, after a few months of being VPE, it was like magic. My confidence level spiked and I learnt how to present myself as an approachable person.

The role came with a lot of responsibility yes, but with the right type of people around this type of responsibility can do wonders for your self improvement.

It was tough learning how to work with different types of people. As the VPE you need to be the mentor of the entire club. You feel responsible for every single person, the speeches they do and you have to do your best to stay focused on their experience in the club. It requires understanding their speaking style, keeping track of their achievements and even making sure they get the right type of evaluators so that they stay motivated.

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You need to build a relationship with a lot of trust with everyone actively involved in the club. It was definitely the most difficult part of the job because not everyone is ready to work at your pace and see the potential you see in them. It was definitely a learning experience.

I’m most proud of being able to find a group of people who enjoy being in Toastmasters and who are so motivated to get better at public speaking. The mentoring program we implemented was such a challenge because it was a new concept and most of the members who had chosen to be mentors hadn't been mentored before. But then it became about building friendships within the club and an understanding environment where everyone has a safe space to learn and grow. When I join meetings now and see how fun the meetings are it's nice to know that you were a part of creating that atmosphere.

-TM Christina (VPE 2019-2020) “I don’t think I can speak much about my overall experience as of yet, because I’m only halfway through the year but so far it has been busy and fun. Organizing a weekly meeting has nicely incorporated itself to my schedule now. The biggest challenge I faced was probably adapting to the responsibility initially and understanding the Education program. I went from knowing next to nothing to information overload. I was constantly bugging Christina and sometimes even Kumuditha and Tisal also with my questions. I was also worried it would be hard to get members to attend online meetings at the beginning of the year, which we managed to solve by making meeting time as fun as possible.

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So far, what I’m most proud of is pretty much all of the members of the club and how far they have come. Majority of them are EXTREMELY enthusiastic about completing their projects and becoming better speakers and leaders.

It is such a blessing, but it can be difficult at times to schedule everyone who is asking for a speech slot in a fair way without demotivating them by keeping them waiting for too long.

Thanks to our members’ enthusiasm, we were able to complete all the educational goals as well as achieve the President's Distinguished status in record time! I’m also super glad we’ve created an environment where our members (new and old) feel comfortable enough to be themselves and, at the same time, work towards improving themselves. I’m forever grateful for the amazing job our predecessors did during their tenure, the great example they set and the constant support they provide us. I have no idea what will unfold over the next few months (although I probably should plan something out), but can’t wait to see what could happen next.”

-TM Asiri (VPE 2020-2021) Yes, each member of the executive committee plays their parts in helping the club grow from strength, but today, we're grateful for the support of our VPE's, all of them, since IIT Toastmasters started.

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MEMBER OF THE QUARTER

TM SHERUNI FERNANDO TM Sheruni Fernando is a triple crown winner and has completed levels 1, 2, and 3 in the pathway Innovative Planning

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CLUB ACCOMPLISHMENTS We're delighted to announce that IIT Toastmasters Club is

PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED 2020/2021 for the 4th consecutive year!

12 meetings 2 themed meetings 2 physical meetings (with social distancing!)

100% pathways adoption Excellence in Training

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

WHY IS PUBLIC SPEAKING IMPORTANT? -TM NAZHIM KALAM If you’ve been asked to give a public speech, you may wonder: what is public speaking and why is public speaking important? Those questions are quite logical if you’ve never thought much about public speaking before.

Public speaking is the act of delivering a speech to a live audience. Public speaking is commonly understood as formal, face-to-face, speaking of a single person to a group of listeners. ...

What are the benefits of Public Speaking?

Effective public speaking skills can help with career advancement, as they indicate creativity, critical thinking skills, leadership abilities, poise, and professionalism, qualities which are very valuable for the job market.

Speaking at events and conferences is a good way of building credibility. The more well known the event the better, as you can add these speaking achievements to your resume.

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Public speaking can also help you stand out at work. You’ll learn to speak up in meetings, to promote your ideas, and to present yourself as a professional. Speaking skills can also help you excel in job interviews. After speaking at a few events, people will remember you and begin to see you as an authoritative figure on your area of expertise. You’ll find yourself getting new client and business from people who watched you speak. All sorts of new business and speaking opportunities will open up for you.

Public speaking can significantly boost your confidence.

Overcoming the fears and insecurities that accompany public speaking is empowering. Furthermore, connecting with audiences can be a strong reminder that you have valuable insights and opinions to share with the world. Your confidence levels will grow as you go from speaking to small groups of people up to large audiences. This will benefit you not just on stage, but in everyday life as well, whether it be in a meeting or on a date.

Public speaking is an excellent way to build critical thinking skills. Writing a speech requires a great deal of careful thought, from the audience analysis to the closing sentence.

It’s not enough to have a message, you also need to figure out how to tailor the message to fit the needs of your audience.

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

Communication skills are crucial for personal and professional success and improving this area is one of the greatest benefits of public speaking.

When you write a speech, you have to think carefully about the best framework, persuasive strategy, and diction to communicate your message to the audience. This type of thinking can help you improve your communication skills in other areas of your life.

Public speaking engagements are good places to meet other people who share your interests. You’ll find that people approach you after your presentation to engage in conversation. It makes it much easier to make new social connections.

Yes, delivering a speech can feel intimidating and risky.

Fears and insecurities tend to multiply as the speech draws closer: “What if I forget my speech?” “What if I can’t answer the audience’s questions?” Public speaking is a way of showing yourself that, with practice, you can do the things that scare you the most. What starts out as a nightmare can turn into a personal boost..

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Another benefit of public speaking is that when you speak at an event, you will suddenly find that everyone wants to talk with you. This is a valuable opportunity for making friends, building business contacts and generating business Help to build up your leadership skills, in standing up and speaking in a way that is powerful, you’re speaking in a way that will change people’s minds about something. If you’re able to master that skill, changing hearts and minds and learning how to persuade, you will be already honing one of the major aspects of leadership.

These are just a few of the main benefits of Public Speaking and there are much more. Hence, public speaking plays a major role in life and is really important to succeed, it’s also known as the key for leadership skills.

(TM Nazhim is a budding writer and you can find his work through his blog.)

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

MEMBER ACCOMPLISHMENTS Pathways Level 1 TM Nazhim Kalam Level 2 TM Gangezwer Uthayakumar TM Danuja Silva TM Ammar Raneez TM Nazhim Kalam Level 3 TM Haritha Naurunna TM Mike Francis TM Sheruni Fernando Level 4 TM Paramie Jayakody TM Mike Francis Level 5 TM Paramie Jayakody

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MEMBER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Contest Winners Humorous Speech Contest TM Gibran Kasif TM Mike Francis Evaluation Contest TM Christina Thambirajah TM Mike Francis TM Gangezwer Uthayakumar

Triple Crown Winners TM Sheruni Fernando

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IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB

FULLY EMBRACING THE SPIRIT OF MEETINGS -TM PARAMIE JAYAKODY Toastmasters is generally regarded as a professional body with esteemed views and elegant standards, however what most people underestimate is the toastmaster’s ability to improvise and adapt. Like the table topics they so arduously practice, one of the toastmaster’s prized abilities is the ability to dominate occasions impromptu. This resilience is something that we don’t usually regard, but something that came to the forefront in 2020.

In IIT Toastmasters, I admit I was one of those who were most resistant to the change to virtual meetings. How would we attempt stage presence, movement and audience reactions online, I wondered. How would expressions, emotions and timing convey through a camera?

However, a few months in and the pandemic showed no signs of abating. Let me try this out, I thought. I was amazed at what I discovered.

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The adaptability of our members is truly something to be amazed at. Within a few meetings, we saw screen-sharing timers, hands raised on zoom, speakers pinned on screen, and polls conducted through chat. Gestures were changed to take camera angles into account, expressions exaggerated, and even self timing and glitchy connections were taken into account.

Even in club and area contests, we saw the judging system having significant changes, among others. The online environment was not something associated with toastmasters, but we managed to make it our own.

When it comes to themed meetings, it’s a whole new ball game, with music effects, filters, profile pictures and even renaming. In IIT TM, where everyone is always up for some fun and pranks, themed meetings were better than ever because of the relatively less effort to put into it. Don’t have a scary costume? Get a pirate filter. Missing the Christmas spirit? Change your profile picture to Santa! The absence of food was a definite downside, but the upside was much greater.

In a rapidly changing world, it’s amazing to see age old methods and practices change to suit the time. And Toastmasters really did show the virtues of being ready to do anything impromptu at any time.

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NEXT QUARTER Stay tuned for exciting things happening next quarter including....

International Speech Contest Table Topic Contest Outdoor Meetings And much more...

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“Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.”

-John Maynard Keynes

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D I V I S I ODNI SCT R| I DC ITS T8 R 2ICT 82 DIVISION C I AREA C1

IIT TOASTMASTERS CLUB