Thane Toastmasters

THANE

TOASTMASTERS

Club No. 2017422 Chartered on 8th September 2011

December 2017

Importance of a Mentor

My journey from a Bathroom Singer to an amateur Stage Singer

Eye Contact

A Storyteller who drove us to Spiti

The deep Slavery

My Journey as a VPPR

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

200th Meeting Photo Gallery

From President's Desk

President' Note

By TM Raunaq Raje It has given me immense pleasure to serve as President of one of the biggest clubs in district 98 of Thane Toastmasters. Our club is not only a community club, but a rich mélange of experiences, opinions, emotions and learnings.

Each meeting is an enriching journey of two and half hours in the delightful world of public speaking and leadership.

Toastmasters has given me immense confidence and has helped me believe in myself during tough situations or critical moments. The last six months as president have taught me a lot of things- building a team, time management, respecting rules and more importantly, putting my trust in a fabulous executive committee. I wish everyone success, luck and happiness on this journey from ‘Good to Great’.

And last but not the least, please rememberLife is too short to be scared and not take risks.

I'd rather be the person who says- 'I messed up,’ rather than, 'I wish I had done that.'

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - JULY TO DECEMBER 2017

Vittal

Raunaq

Manish

Immediate Past President

Sergeant at Arms

President

Shankari

Vice President Education

Pallavi

Anuj

Anirudh

Utkarsh

Vice President Public Relations

Treasurer

Secretary

Vice President Membership

Reema

Biku

NEWSLETTER TEAM Editorial Team

01 TOASTMASTERS

Importance of a Mentor

Importance of a Mentor

Copyright IndianCEO.in

By TM Anil Balan The other day I heard the song, “Good Riddance” by the American band, Green Day, after a long time.

The lyrics touched me in such a way that I wanted to know more about this song. On searching online for information about this song, I was surprised to learn that the song was never meant to be recorded in the first place!

Although written in 1990, its writer, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong did not feel it was good enough and went on to share it with his band mates only in 1993. His band seconded his opinion! It was not until 1997, when their band Manager, Rob Cavallo, happened to chance upon the lyrics of this song, that things began to take shape. Seeing immense potential in the song, he encouraged the band to go ahead and record the song.

A mentor can help us unlock our dormant potential and scale new heights. In the above example, it was Rob Cavallo’s experience that made him envision the potential in the song. Without his vision, the song would never have seen the light of day.

The above instance reiterates what John Maxwell had once said, ”One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.”

So, hold on to your Mentors and keep learning from them!

The song was a big hit and won the band many awards. The song invokes feelings of nostalgia about life and is still played on prom nights in American colleges. Being of short duration, (around two and a half minutes), the song is used even today by many radio stations around the world as the last song before they change formats, giving the song a fair amount of airplay.

This story emphasises the importance of mentors in our lives. They have a vision far beyond our restricted horizons.

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My journey from a Bathroom Singer to an amateur Stage Singer

My journey from a Bathroom Singer to an amateur

Stage Singer

By TM Saumil Thakkar

"I would like to thank everyone of you. I would like to specially thank my shower and mirror without whom my sapna (dream) would not have become a sach (reality)" This is a short speech I would give if I were a winner of an award for Amateur Singers.

Yes friends! I am passionate about music. It came to me naturally as God’s gift when I was in school. I was selected for singing at our school's chorus group. While practising, I realised that I could play the song on the keyboard which was placed in one corner of our school's music room. My teacher saw this and I became a keyboard instrumentalist for our school band. One day, I was playing the keyboard at home for my relatives. The lights went off but I continued playing in the darkness. It is at that moment that I realised that music was going to stay with me for eternity.

Singing has since taken a backstage, but not fully. How many of you are bathroom Singers? If your answer is no then try singing while taking a cold water shower on a winter morning. It will surprise you to know that you could start off with an Indian Classical Raga and end up humming your favorite song. I was a "professional" bathroom singer with a shower as my mic and the mirror for an audience. I performed daily for the best creation and best person in my life "myself".

03 TOASTMASTERS

Recently I came across some groups of passionate singers on Facebook. I approached one of them and was selected to perform live in a packed auditorium.

The satisfaction I got after singing flawlessly on stage was tremendous.

The motivation I received in the form of applause and whistles was a bonus.

I found many similarities between singing on stage and delivering a speech at Toastmasters.

As in the case of singing, practicing in front of the mirror is important at toastmasters.

Eye Contact

The satisfaction and motivation received after giving a speech is awesome. In singing, the musicians are the role holders, the compere is the Toastmaster of the day and the audience is both the judge and the Table Topics Master, and could make a song request, just like a Table Topics Master.

I hope I have inspired you all to bring out the passion within you. To sum up, Singing and Toastmasters make you a better person and a better performer. And most importantly, never forget the importance of the shower and the mirror in your life. They are your best assets.

Eye Contact

By TM Sriram Kumar Just imagine that beautiful moment when you receive a love letter from that someone special…the beautiful envelope that holds the message... you can’t wait to read the contents inside… you rip apart the envelope eagerly…

and the first line in the letter reads… “To whomsoever it may concern”…

How would you feel… rejected? dejected? dismayed? cheated? uncared for?... maybe all of this and more…

A speech without appropriate eye contact is similar to such a love letter. Yet so often, public speakers treat their audiences in the same way, making little or no attempt to connect with their eyes, as if the audience is not important or doesn't exist.

So why is eye contact such a big deal? As Toastmasters, we keep hearing… eye contact ! eye contact ! and more often than not, that itself leads to anxiety and loss of eye contact !! If there is one simple thing you can do to enhance your impact as a presenter, persuade others to see things as you see them, and make it more likely your audience will say yes

to your idea, it is sustained, purposeful eye contact. Great speeches are like one-on-one conversations with each member of the audience. When you make eye contact, you are connecting to your audience. It helps to establish rapport, makes them feel special and important.

The other reason to make eye contact is that you gain an understanding of your audience.

It gives you immediate feedback. You can see if they are listening, if they are interested, worried, excited, bored or delighted.

TOASTMASTERS 04

Eye Contact You can then change and modify your presentation, ask questions or shift yourself into a more resourceful state, so as to meet the requirements of the moment.

What is the best way to make eye contact?

There is a plethora of literature out there on how to make good eye contact.

Most books and experts agree that eye contact of 3 to 4 seconds each with members in the audience is a great way to connect.

Some of the generally used methods of powerful eye contact are:

• As a public speaker, there will be many times when you spot a frown or furrowed brow in your audience : • Smile and move onto another more accepting face. Otherwise, you may lose your concentration or energy trying to convince the owner of that face to be agreeable!

• Know that some audiences are more analytical, detailed information seekers and they show their thoughts.

• If you find that the majority of your audience is frowning - YOU are the problem and you'll need to acknowledge this and make changes immediately!

1.

‘S’ formation eye contact in which you make contact with the members of the audience in way the letter ‘S’ is shaped..starting from the top to the bottom.

2.

‘Z’ formation eye contact in which which you make contact with the members of the audience in way the letter ‘Z’ is shaped..starting from the top the bottom.

3.

Eye contact with specific with specific members in the audience in the four corners of the room.

4.

Eye contact with your friends in the audience so that you are comfortable looking into their eyes (prior to your speech, you could ask them to sit in different places so that the effect is maximized)

Choose a method that is comfortable to you…the best way is to try it out and see what suits you best.

Irrespective of the method used for making eye contact, it is imperative to keep in mind the following: • Staring: The possible problem area with eye contact is if you over do it and start to stare.

As great speakers, we need to remember that we are trying to build rapport and relationship with our audience and are not trying to drill our message into their brains. When you build rapport you move in harmony with your audience and they will remember you and your message.

05 TOASTMASTERS

Eye contact is one of the most important elements of delivery of a speech or a presentation. There is no “trick” to make this easy. It’s hard, and we’ve got to learn to stomach the butterflies and get over it. Look at your audience in the eyes. It’s scary.

It’s hard. Do it anyway.

Instead of buying into myths or gimmicks, we must realize that delivery is difficult and cannot be achieved through shortcuts. We must also understand the basic goal of delivery during a presentation. The heart of delivery is an authentic, natural connection with an audience.

If you focus on the hard work that comes with overcoming your public speaking fear and presentation anxiety, and if you put in the hours of necessary preparation and practice time, you will be able to focus on delivery — and especially on eye contact — the next time you present and in fact, every time you present.

All the best!

A storyteller who drove us to Spiti

A Storyteller who drove us to Spiti

By TM Utkarsh Jumle A man picks us up from Manali early in the morning... with a great smile... murmuring Kangada songs while handling the steering wheel carefully on the mountain curves...

Our journey from Manali to Rohatang was enthralling, with a stupendous view and blind turns on the road...

In that first leg of our trip, that man sitting on the front right seat won our heart as we reached Rohtang pass safely... yes he drove very carefully as it was raining.. we saw some boards that read 'shooting stones' and also witnessed some unfortunate events on our way... But he drove us safely and in a relaxed state, we started to communicate with him. Our conversations continued for the entire duration of our Spiti Valley trip...

He was tireless in his story telling... from day one. The scenic Spiti Valley is still a remote place and the roads connecting it to Manali via Rohtang are not in very good condition.... and bad roads meant more travel time…

Throughout our trip the road had the river flowing on one side & mountains on the other… every turn on the road gave us an enchanting view of the landscape...

Yes, Vinodji, the storyteller who drove us to Spiti was younger than us and was equally excited to visit the Spiti valley...

As we started our conversation he realized that we shared his love for nature and the mountains... And he started regaling us with anecdotes…

We drove for five to six hours every day, but Vinodji paused at every mountain, river & monument, continuing with the endless stories he had to tell...

His stories were about Birds, Local Herbs, Local Food, Road Accidents, Past travelers Experiences and about the Schools of the small villages of Spiti… all of which was much more interesting than what I had read in books…

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The deep Slavery Today, as I go through the photos, I remember his stories… which are engraved in my mind due to the manner in which he had narrated them...

We were really lucky to be with him on our trip, a mountain lover who loves to drive... A storyteller who drove us to Spiti...

Every trip teaches us something... and I learned storytelling from Vinodji during my Spiti Trip...

I believe that to be a good orator we really need great storytelling skills so that our stories get engraved in the heart & mind of the listeners ...

Skills aren’t necessarily imbibed by attending schools and classes... there are so many people around us from whom we can learn so many things to be the best every single day…

The deep slavery

By TM Anirudh Nayak

Let me start with a short story. A young man once asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning.

They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When they were neck deep in water, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out, but Socrates was strong and kept him immersed until the boy started turning blue. When Socrates finally pulled his head out of the water, the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air.

Socrates asked, 'What did you want the most when you were there?"

The boy replied, "Air." Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.

The moral of the story is simple. A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishments.

07 TOASTMASTERS

The deep Slavery Just like a small fire cannot give out much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results. Is being successful any easier now, after knowing and understanding this success mantra?

The fact is that even after knowing the success mantra, we often fail to succeed because we may know and understand the mantra but we don’t realize it in the true sense.

We don’t understand what it really means to have a strong and burning desire, what it means to go beyond our limitations and perform extreme efforts to achieve our goals.

We all have dreams and goals in our lives, but we love being in our comfort zone. We all want to be achievers, but we are not ready to stop pursuing things that bring us immediate gratification in favour of the more difficult path of action.

The truth is that we are not sincere enough about our dream and goals and are struggling to walk on the path that leads to them. We either get deviated or we simply procrastinate instead of taking the action required to realise our dreams and goals.

This happens because our body and mind are not willing to get into action. They often get distracted towards the convenience, comforts and luxuries of life. We are always struggling to be in control of our mind or body.

Be it waking up early, avoiding the mouthwatering unhealthy junk food or preparing yourself for a better career.. We are eternally fighting with our minds and allowing it to win most of the times. If we observe closely, our mind is always resisting the things we want to do. It may sound surprising, but for most of us, most of the time, our mind is working against us.

Our body and mind are our life support system and they exist to make our life comfortable.

Then why are they working against us instead of working for us? We are supposed to be

in charge of our life and in control our body and mind. But instead we are being controlled by our mind and our body.

It may sound weird, but the truth is that we are in deep slavery… sometimes slaves of our hormones, sometimes slaves of our body and all the time slaves of our mind. In spite of knowing that this slavery is not the correct way of life, we still continue in the same way. If we have to be slaves, then why not be slaves of a sensible master? Instead of being slaves of the body or mind, why not benefit from being be slaves of intelligence?

After every action that we perform under the influence of our body or mind, there is a part of us that feels guilty and regrets a lot. That part of us always wants to be free from the shackles of the compulsiveness of the body and mind and become independent.

It is this part of you that wants to get TOASTMASTERS 08

The deep Slavery

free and independent that is the real you. Your life is NOT to be ruled by your unstable mind and lethargic body. The real you has to take control of your life.

We need to understand this. Your body will always want to sleep or rest and do nothing.

Your mind will always want to enjoy the pleasant and luxurious experiences which are nothing but deviations and distractions on your path of success. It is you who is the master who should control your life. Break the barriers that your mind has set. Break the limitations that your body wants to be in. Rise above the compulsiveness and dependencies that your mind and body bring in.

We should not get carried away by the body and mind.

Instead, we should put the body and mind to work the way we want. We should consistently push them to do the things that they always resist. No matter how much negativity surrounds you, no matter how helpless you feel over your mind. Just don’t give up.

Every time the mind wins, you move deeper into this slavery. So don’t quit. Continue the fight and don’t let the mind win. You should make yourself stronger than your mind and body. Show them who is the master. Eventually, they will start working for you instead of working against you.

Whether a life is successful or not simply depends on who is in control, the mind and body or the real you.

Once you realize the real you and take control of your life, then having a strong and a burning desire towards your dreams and goals will be the way of your life for you. And it is then that life will simply happen to you, the way you always wanted it to be.

09 TOASTMASTERS

My Journey as a VPPR

By TM Anuj Jain It is my pleasure to present the Bi-annual newsletter of Thane toastmasters to you. My journey as Vice president- Public Relations at Thane Toastmasters club has been both enriching and insightful.

Like any other toastmaster, I started my journey to become an effective public speaker, but I

Toastmasters is not just about public speaking, it is also about collaboration, management, teamwork, networking and a sense of camaraderie that exists between fellow Toastmasters. was soon delighted to see that

As we continue our journey to growth and success, we hope to retain the President's distinguished club award this year as well. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with a wonderful executive committee that consistently drives the club on the path of success.

In the end, I would like to conclude by thanking the district leadership, club seniors, members of the executive committee and each and every toastmaster of the Thane toastmasters club who have contributed to the success of the club and brought the club to its current stature.

200th Meeting

Thane Toastmasters 200th Meeting 10th September 2017

TOASTMASTERS 10

Outstation Meetting at Golden valley resort on 17th December 2017

District Director DTM Arvind Nair visited Thane Toastmasters Club

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE