Pulse volume 3 issue 2 by Newsletters of District 82

Volume 3 Issue 2

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YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The Living Legend

CHITTUR SUBRAMANIAM

Seven Minutes of Fun and Fame with Kaishika Rodrigo

HEART-TO-HEART

with Darren Tay

LEADERSHIP IN TOASTMASTERS

Learning through the Executive committee

District 82 Toastmasters - Sri Lanka & Tamilnadu (India) Region 13, Toastmasters International

TABLE OF CONTENTS 03

International Director Address

Youth Leadership Program “Just do it”

In Conversation with DTM Navaneeth

Seven Minutes of Fun and Fame

Let us get to know TM Asgi Noordeen

Leadership in Toastmasters

In Conversation with TM Haleem

District News

Toastmasters Leadership Institute - Initiatives and Achievements

From the desk of the Club Growth Director . . . .

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Two Decades of communication and leadership revolution by Toastmaster Subramanian Chittur Heart-to-heart with Darren Tay

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International Director Address NAGARAJA RAO, DTM

Dear Members of District 82, I am very happy to be with you at your semi-annual conference. Every semi-annual conference brings in a lot of cheer and sensitivity among the membership by way of participation in the humorous and evaluation contests conducted in clubs across the District. You might wonder – “Toastmasters is a program for Leadership Skill Development. How are Sensitivity and a Sense of Humor connected to Leadership?” The answer is found in the type of leaders we are trying to be – Resonant as against Dissonant Leaders. Resonant Leaders are inspiring, empowering and caring. They create huge reservoirs of positivity and possibilities. They are emotionally intelligent and are least bothered about titles. They are effective in bringing out the best in others. These are the kind of leaders we strive to develop at Toastmasters. By participating in a humorous speech contest, one develops the ability to work lightly and efficiently, often laughing at one’s own faults. A good evaluator develops the sensitivity to recognize others’ strengths and weaknesses and offers positive feedback which helps in bringing out the best from them. Even though it appears that these contests help us become better communicators, they also help us evolve as resonant leaders. District 82 has been producing some very fine speakers & leaders from many years now! My compliments go out to District Director Sudash, Program Quality Director Ajantha , Club Growth Director Suganthi, Immediate Past District Director Sastaram, Conference Chair Navaneeth and others. I am aware there are dozens of unsung heroes who work silently for the benefit of Toastmasters. I look forward to meeting all my friends – old and new, and to listen to your success stories.

Let us Celebrate, Reverberate and enjoy the conference! Warm regards Nagaraja Rao, DTM 2015-2017 International Director, Toastmasters International

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District Director Address DTM SUDASH LIYANAGE

Involve to Evolve! That’s my forte for four decades, The Toastmaster Club is our laboratory of many tests, it is the place we do the litmus test of our progress. Being appointed a club officer or being a role player, we develop our basics in a conducive environment of closely knit family members. That’s the place where we could fall, yet be empathized, mentored and encouraged to go forward and advance to the next level as a leader. Beyond our club, we get to the ocean of toastmasters, where anyone of us has a chance of picking the treasures from the shore or the deep sea. We could evolve with networking with the ocean of toastmasters, sharing the experiences of each other, grabbing a salient learning from a key note speaker, enjoy a story and laugh by listening to an eloquent speaker or by any form of activity. If you wish to hunt the hidden treasures of the sea bed of toastmasters, take steps to do so and Look beyond the club and that surely will transform you to a different personality with higher skills set in communication and leadership. If we want to dive deep to harness the leadership treasures of toastmasters, get involved in the Area, Division and District leadership, where skills of team building, planning, delegation, communicating, monitoring, conflict resolution and motivational skills be horned. Recall the day of your first toastmasters meeting, showered with greetings of welcome by the club members particularly the Sergeant-at Arms, Vice President Membership or the President. That warmth would have been the beginning, which paved your way to be a toastmaster. The very first table topic, which was the longest two minutes and the triumph you received at the Ice breaker speech, with that confidence “yes I did it”. In school, college, office, home, profession, career and toastmasters, I made it a point to be involved and now in retrospect, I have truly evolved. Way back when I was a lean and lanky lad in school I forced myself to be involved in athletics, scouting, cricket and sports. Yet, acceptance came after sitting in back benches for long and working hard to gain what I desired. At the end of six prime years in school, I received college and national colors for athletics, excelled in four sports, occupied on four other disciplines and became a leader as Senior Prefect.

Recollection of those engagements and sweet memories bring that joy of enjoyment. It continued in my career at work as a professional. I have always been ready for a challenge and the first to embrace the change and always geared to go for goals of the organization to achieve success. That engagement and commitment paved the way for me to rise to be a corporate leader. My engagement in toastmasters made no difference and is significant in my life, where I always felt the progress in me after each event or assignment. It could be a speech, meeting role, as club officer, event or project committee member, Chair of conferences, Area & Division Governor, club coach, mentor and sponsor, member of district trio and as the District Director, the beauty was that each has provided many facets of evolvement in me. This is quite fascinating and I invite every member to reflect upon your own endowment in engaging as a toastmaster from the very first day to date. When you get involved and lead a life with the true spirit of a toastmaster, you will find more valuable treasures of life; friends who are sincere and selfless for the welfare and genuine happiness of all beings. You will meet toastmasters who appreciate diversity and harmonize in humanity, which transcends all boundaries of nations, race, caste, class, creed or religion. Also, in toastmaster we meet amazingly simple individuals who have reached higher achievements yet find their willingness to make ‘others first & in front”. What is important in our involvement is to evolve in toastmasters so that through our progressive improvement we make in soft skills, communication skills & leadership skills we are able to practice in our day today activities, be it at home, work place, society or at any place and any moment that will bring forth fruitful results. That’s what fascinates me and I find them inadvertently inculcated to my life. Owing to my habit of engaging and immersing deeply in whatever I do have evolved from a talker to speaker, better writer , better leader, better manager, better husband and father. That’s why we say that it is a transformation, a way of life, a prophecy and a philosophy.

Hence, engage to discover yourself and witness the personal transformation. Involve … and evolve to recognize the beauty of life, worthiness and purpose.

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Program Quality Director’s Address DTM AJANTHA JAYAWARDENA

“

Reverberation ‘16 Message The more we do, the more we can do-William Hazlitt

Wishing the contestants best of luck and assuring you of my support at all times.

”

District Conferences are the best Toastmaster experience. It is an opportunity for more. Conferences are a time to get more involved and enhance your Toastmaster experience More hard work, more knowledge , more growth, and of course more friends, fun and excitement. The leadership- and communication skills of the organizers are put to the test while the contestant gets more opportunities to showcase their talents and learn from the experience. It is in doing more that we realize how much more we can do. This is the time to venture out of your c0mfort zone, test your limits and grow as an individual, as a club and as a community. Conferences are also a celebration of your achievements and growth. It is also time to evaluate your performance and focus on the goals you wish to achieve in the future. I hope all of you will make the most of this opportunity and be enriched by this experience gaining more knowledge for your personal growth. I am looking forward to joining” the wave of celebration “. I am very happy that this event is being been hosted by the Members of VIT campus Toastmasters Clubs. I am confident that this dynamic young team of Toastmasters with their impressive organizing skills, has made every effort to make this event as memorable as the Division Conference of Division I organized by them in March 16, which I was fortunate to attend.

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Club Growth Director’s Address DTM SUGANTHI PERIASAMY

Hello my dear fellow members! Greetings! Welcome to Reverberation 2016, the wave of celebration! Four months have quickly flown by since the start of this Toastmasters year and as I look at the months that have passed by, I am reminded of the following quote - “When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality”- Joe Paterno. During these months, we had a number of events which presented us immense opportunities to explore our communication and leadership skills – Officer Training programs, TLI events, Roadshows and visits to revive weak clubs, and Division conferences. All these events have demonstrated our commitment towards striving for excellence always. Congratulations to all of you for either organizing or participating in these events. Let me also take this opportunity to thank all of you for renewing your membership on time. 197 out of 202 clubs have submitted their renewals on time. I am sure the remaining 5 clubs will overcome their challenging situation soon and will join the District 82 family as clubs in good standing. We have also brought in 1192 new members to our District 82 family. Coming to club growth, this year started on a positive note when “SIT Toastmaster Club – 2” chartered in July 2016 gave a head start. In 4 months’ time, we have 5 new clubs in our District - SIT Toastmaster Club – 1, SIT Toastmaster Club – 2, iNautix Chennai Toastmasters Club, LNP Toastmasters Club, and Ericsson Toastmasters Club. Through these 5 clubs, we have brought in 119 new members. In another week’s time, we will have 6 more clubs chartered as the paper work is currently being processed by TI – Towering Speakers, BNP Paribas India Solutions Toastmasters club, TCS Maitree Syndicate Toastmasters club, Amrita Toastmasters Club, Kumaraguru Toastmasters Club, and Pan Asia Toastmasters. By the end of this half year, we will have 6 more clubs chartered, which are now in the process of lining up the charter members. A thousand new members, 10 new clubs, 6 prospective clubs, 97.5 % renewal completion – all these wouldn’t have been possible without you! Thank you and let us continue to build a bigger and stronger District 82! As we take pride in our achievements and congratulate ourselves, I am reminded of a story “A man who walks by a construction site and sees three workers, each pushing a wheelbarrow holding one enormous stone. Out of curiosity, he asks one of the workers what they are doing. “What does it look like?” he says with a sneer. “I’m just hauling rocks.”

Unsatisfied with that answer, the man asks the second worker with a wheelbarrow the same question. Without even bothering to look up, this man says “We’re putting up walls.” Frustrated, the man tries one last time. He asks the third worker, “can you please tell me what you men are doing here?” Unlike the other two, this man stops, puts down his wheelbarrow, wipes the sweat from his forehead and says with a big smile, “We are building a castle and it’s going to be magnificent.” Here are three different men; all doing the same work, but one says he is hauling rocks, one says he is putting up walls, and one says he is building a castle. This story says a lot about the attitude that each of us bring to our lives, or could bring to our lives if we were willing to shift our perspective more toward personal excellence. In Toastmasters too, we can see these 3 different types of people. There are people who say, “We pay $45 every six months, attend club meetings and complete CC/CL projects.” There are some of our members who say, “I attend club meetings regularly and also the educational sessions outside, thus improving myself.” Then, there are some members who say “I pay $45 every 6 months to transform myself and excel in all that I do, by seizing all the opportunities in Toastmasters that come my way.” Take a moment, think which school of thought you belong to! My guess is, District 82 members are of the 3rd type – seeking excellence in all that we do. Perception makes all the difference, isn’t it? So keep scaling newer heights, for, they can conquer who believe they can. All the best!

Have a fantabulous time at Reverberation 2016 – let our minds and souls reverberate with fun and learning. Suganthi Periasamy, DTM, Club Growth Director, District 82

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In Conversation with DTM NAVANEETH

He may be young in years but his achievements are plentiful. Meet Navaneeth Ganesh the youngest DTM in all of South Asia and the fifth youngest DTM in the world. Read on as he shares his experience on the journey to being such a young DTM.

How did you get introduced to Toastmasters? (Describe your first meeting experience)

I attended a National Symposium called "India Emerge Youth Summit 2012" in my first year of college. This was organized by Toastmasters VIT Club. I was inspired by the members of the club because they worked day and night to make the symposium a grand success. I wanted to be a part of the conference team for the consecutive year and joined Toastmasters immediately. To my surprise I was chosen to be the conference chair for the year 2013. It all began here.

How did you feel winning this prestigious honour?

What do you enjoy most about being a Toastmaster?

One advice to all aspiring DTMs

I was exhilarated. Each minor achievement was like a fuel stop on the road to the destination of being a DTM. And these fuel stations only got me more pumped and charged up. And now that I have reached my target I can only think of what my next goal is.

Attending various conferences, meeting people and chit chatting

When did you decide to become a DTM? Were you consciously aiming towards becoming a DTM?

In the initial days of my Toastmasters journey, I did not desire to become a DTM. I was just enthusiastic to be a part of the system and that was exciting enough for me. Slowly I made progress along the communication and leadership tracks. And at some point after a term serving as president of my club, I decided that before graduation I should become a DTM. And slowly but surely I started working towards it.

How difficult was the journey to becoming a DTM?

I did face tough hardships along the way. But such resistances helped balance my progress. On the whole I would say it was like a long and arduous trek up a mountain. Each step is painfully exhausting but the view at the top is totally worth it.

If you want to achieve something, you must yearn for it. Be proactive. Immerse yourself in the system. And remember that for everything that you give you will receive ten folds in return. Becoming a DTM is easy but making an impact is tough. Try making that impact in whatever you do.

The toughest hurdle you faced in your journey to becoming DTM and how you handled this challenge

Nothing really because I relished every moment of the journey

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Let us get to know ASGI NOORDEEN A Toastmaster for 31 years

When and why did you join Toastmasters?

What motivated you to stay in Toastmasters?

I joined the Colombo Toastmasters Club in May 1985 after being a member of the Colombo Jaycees to further improve my Communication and Leadership skills.

The massive learning experience I gained and the wonderful friendships that I made. I also got to meet some outstanding human beings along the way.

How has Toastmasters helped you in your personal and/or professional life?

It has helped me immensely both personally and professionally. To be focused, to be organized and of course to be an effective leader and communicator.

Have you had any Toastmasters mentors through the years?

Many unofficial mentors. I have learnt immensely from Toastmasters Haleem Ghouse, Late Paddy Gunasekera, Lester Fonseka, Late Praema Fernando, Douglas Wijesinghe, Yusuf Jeevunjee, Niranjan de Siva, Arunasalam Balraj, Dr. Dilip Abeysekera, Meena Butani, Chrishanthi Emmanuel, Dian Abeywardene, Hussain Moosajee, Sarma Mahalingam and my current Club President K. Rameshkumar. I apologize if I have forgotten any others. Each one of them has taught me many lessons.

What advice would you give to someone who has just started their journey in Toastmasters?

What is a favorite public speaking memory of yours?

What aspect of Toastmasters do you like best?

Tell us about your hobbies and interests outside of Toastmasters.

Get hold of a committed Mentor. Make the maximum use of the Toastmasters Program. Get involved as much as possible in meetings and programs in your Club, Division and District. Grab every opportunity to speak, both in Manual and Table Topic Speeches and be a role player when asked to do so by your VP Education.

Many. The Vote of Thanks I gave at the opening ceremony of Ovation 2015 is one such favorite speaking experience.

The friendships. The camaraderie. The wonderful people I have met in this long journey. The learning experiences. And of course, the great memories of the many brilliant speeches I have heard.

I love to keep fit by walking and swimming but lethargy is my number one enemy. I am interested in watching TV - specially Cricket Matches and listening to speeches of great statesman. However, today my biggest interest is playing with my six-month-old grandson.

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From your words, can you explain about our Toastmasters International President Elect, DTM Balraj Arunasalam?

A very dear friend. I have known him for over 30 years. A great leader and a very humble human being. His vision and focus in 2003 was to expand this movement and enable as many people as possible to enjoy the immense benefits of Toastmasters. With a lot of hard work he overcame many challenges. He sponsored many outstanding clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Smedley, Ralph, BCIS, to name a few. He took Toastmasters to all parts of the country by organizing programs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kandy, Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Bandarawela, Maskeliya, Hatton and Jaffna. And he also took many Toastmasters to Bengaluru in 2004, to Toronto in 2005, to Washington in 2006 and to Malaysia in 2014. And he will take a large contingent of Toastmasters to Vancouver in 2017. District 82 was his brainchild. He mentored many speakers including the WCPS 2014 Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. And the most amazing thing is that with his extremely busy schedule as President Elect, he yet has the time to give to any Toastmaster who needs his assistance and advice.

Describe about this wonderful organization Toastmasters International in your words.

A great organization that has given life to many individuals all over the world, but gave me a second life. After my life threatening illness in 2014, Toastmasters has given me the will and the opportunity to make a difference in other people lives. It has opportunities for anyone who is committed to learn. And it has members who are always willing to share their knowledge and experience with others.

Being one of the pioneers of our District 82, where do you see the district now from the time of inception and where do you like to see the district in future?

A very strong District with very strong and committed Leaders. When I attended Ovation 2016 in Chennai, believe me I was dumbfounded with the quality of the Toastmasters both in Sri Lanka and India. Young people with so much of talent. All as a result of the mentoring that is taking place at every level in the District. With an International President from District 82 in 2017 and many other awesome leaders from both Sri Lanka and India in the International Board and in the District, I am certain that District 82 will continue to flourish and grow in strength, becoming the number one District in the world.

If there is anything you would like to see in Toastmasters International or our District 82 would like to improve on, what would be your suggestion?

One area that concerns me is that Toastmasters are going behind awards and accolades, while compromising quality. I was told that there are Toastmasters who are completing speech manual faster than the super express trains. I come from the old school, where before giving a speech I need to thoroughly prepare, practice and rehearse, so that I do justice not only to myself but to the audience that has taken the time and effort to come and listen to me. I feel this should be instilled to the members by the leadership at all levels. But finally, it is up to the individual to be honest with himself. Integrity is a key part of Toastmasters.

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In Conversation with TM HALEEM

Longest standing member in District 82

When and Why did you join Toastmasters?

I joined Toastmasters in 1983. Self-Improvement was the core reason and that has become a turning point in my life. And, Today I have no regrets with my decision which I had taken 3Â decades ago.

What Motivated to join Toastmasters? Toastmasters is a platform for endless Self Improvement and Self Development. In my 30Â years of Toastmastering I had reaped more than what I had sacrificed.

How Toastmasters has helped in your personal and professional life? Personally, Toastmasters has helped to discover my hidden talents. My weaknesses were highlighted through a constructive evaluation process and that in turn helped to express myself better. Better in personal leadership, ability to express, negotiate, understand people and my family better. Professionally, Toastmasters has enabled me to expand my network. Since my business is based on relationship buildings with the help of Toastmasters I was able to widen my network and interact with my clients more productively.

Have you had any Toastmaster mentors? No. Every member is my mentor. You can learn from every member at every meeting, however new or young they are. Biggest mentor is yourself. You have to motivate yourself to become somebody in life rather than nobody.

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What would be your Advice to the people who has just joined Toastmasters? First, you have to Self-Reward and Self motivate yourself. It is the most crucial of all. You have to accept the fact that you have a room for improvement. Prepare and deliver your projects/ speeches regularly and take evaluations more seriously. Participate in broad activities of the club by managing your time and work properly.

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Beyond Toastmasters.. Personally, I am Underperforming. I am a Female Fashion designer and an Interior and Exterior Décor Professional. My Most rewarding hobby is to share knowledge to people and to help others to be a better person.

How you look at President elect Balraj.. Bala is the Man of Action. He is someone who has always been ready to help people. A Committed Toastmaster. A Good Family man and a Dependable Friend. Simple person with High Inspiration. Handling People and events are like clay for him. DTM Balraj, Intl World President Elect. He knew where he wanted to be. He is someone who sees problems as opportunities, obstacles as ways to achieve. He works smart and not hard. He is always prepared to help others and manages time by involving himself with organizations. Someone who focusses on “Us” and the man of simplicity.

Can you share some of your best memories in 30 years of Toastmastering? The day when I was handpicked by International World President and awarded me his personal medal for outstanding Toastmaster of entire south east Asia. I got standing ovation for 3 minutes . Yet another memory was at Toastmaster regional conference which happened at Bangalore. I made a presentation on “Challenges of Speaking” on behalf of Srilanka. During the tea interval, DTM Muraan kissed me and said “Brilliant Hallem, I have nothing to review” and pinned his regional director pin. At Ovation, Delhi after my Keynote presentation one of the lady seated in the front seat said “This the better than the best we had heard, accept my thanks personally”.

What would you like to see in TM..improve in d82 Separate District..continue to be the outstanding district..programs..dedicated office bearers.. more creative programs for each member to achieve his/ her goals..proliferation of clubs..optimum number of clubs for proper management.. Proud of being an Intl Officer..Quality evaluation.. focusing academically..numbers and deadlines..

Aspect of Toastmasters Toastmasters is a unique organization. It is a University for making mistakes and a place for self-improvement. It provided multitasking learning opportunity to listen, criticize, plan, deal and Lead with people. A Multiple learning laboratory with practical exercises which provides continuous self-improvement.

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TWO DECADES OF COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP REVOLUTION BY

Toastmaster S. Subramanian Chittur

“Lot of butterflies in the stomach, your hands are trembling, sweaty palms, and tight throat, you mumble something, you are the spot light for thousands of eyes and mind goes blank, you come back without uttering a single word”. Does this happen to you when you are asked to speak in front of crowd? Not after you meet Toastmaster Subramanian Chittur a CA (left is chitoor subbramanian), who introduced toastmasters to India.

Toastmasters was started by Ralph C Medley way back in 1924 at Santa Ana USA. People in US had to give a small talk before raising the toast in small gatherings , Smedley found that people were good at raising the toast but afraid to speak. He decided to start an organization which can help people to speak in such occasions; hence this organization was named as Toastmasters. Until 1991, toastmaster was like a genie locked in a bottle. Chittur unlocked it for us. The story of unlocking the toastmasters to India is very interesting. Chittur was active in his school days, his father pushed him to participate in debates and competitions, though it was embarrassing, later he enjoyed the pleasure of keeping the audience in his palm and went on to become a good speaker. Every time there was an event in school he used to be the called to address. Folks called him a “Born speaker”, but he vehemently argues that he was made one, and anyone who aspires to be a good orator is worth dreaming. Studies became his priority and opportunities for speaking were not many. Chittur believes that if you are afraid of something do it until you master it. During the earlier days, he along with his friend M H Narasimhan organized meetings at Rotaract club, (youth wing of Rotary). At that time they encouraged and helped the members to improve their skills by giving a chance for the members to speak. Then

he went to Saudi Arabia and then Bahrain. In the meanwhile he found the love of his life in Rajalakshmy. Chittur had heard this name “Toastmasters” from one of his friends but never knew what it was. Just as the wisdom brings in wonder, it did not take long time for him to find the Toastmasters club. Through the news paper he came to know about Manama Toastmasters club in Bahrain. Curiosity whisked him to the meeting, it was love at first sight! He felt that this is the place he must have been long time ago. His journey with toastmasters started from there. He was also the member of the Bahrain Sports club; A Punnuchamy, mentor of Chittur inspired him to conduct a “Youth leadership program" for school children. He proposed the idea in front of Bahrain sports club and started the program. As the famous saying goes "successful people are those Who dream, and pay the price to make it a reality". The program was so successful that they was requested to start a club for them. With 25 members the second club in Bahrain after 24 years, BSC Speakers Forum was started by them in 1989 . He faced a lot of opposition from his home club Manama Toastmasters, as they felt that the idea of a second club was something new and was not acceptable and necessary. It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. Any great idea is always rejected at first instance. Today there are over 50 toastmasters clubs in Bahrain.

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But all good things had to come to an end. In the course of starting his own business, he got back to India. He had made an open statement that "If there no toastmasters club in India, I will start one". Leaders don't wait. They shape their own frontiers. He was fortunate to meet his old friend Narasimhan. They found a toastmasters club in YMCA Bangalore and wanted to witness a meeting. The hist in YMCA said we will have a meeting of 5 people. Chittur said my guests came to witness a meeting not to be apart of it. So he started his mission of starting a club of their own. Chittur visited Narasimhan’s workplace Astra IDL Ltd to promote the idea of Toastmasters, and being mesmerized and convinced by his motivational and awe – inspiring words, majority of the people who attended his session joined hands with him. Four months after he landed in India a club was started. The club was running successfully, but it wasn’t a recognized body. After tasting success for a year and a half, the club had to be closed abruptly due to unforeseen circumstances, but Chittur’s vision for toastmasters was too big to be given up. To be able to lead others, a man must be willing to go forward alone. On the eve of Independence Day 14 August 1991, Chittur, with his family and friends started “Garden City Speakers forum" which is today known as "Garden City Toastmasters club”. He says it was a family affair. All the founders were his relatives or friends from the residential complex because it happened 7 months after he returned form Bahrain. But at the same time his manufacturing unit had started taking baby steps. At this crucial juncture he could’ve abandoned Toastmasters in the quest of making a good living, but his dream “to make communication a countrywide reality” surpassed all his other priorities and hence Toastmasters, his passion, was kept alive. It was not smooth sailing, but he got unconditional support from his family members Rajalakshmy, Lakshman Iyer, and very enthusiastic friends like Vekateshwaran, Narasimhan, and Ganesh . With the power of conviction, there is no sacrifice. His wife Raji had no Toastmasters ecxperiencee except attending the meetings regularly. He got her in because he felt without her it couldn’t much easier. She could give some expertise as another person to help and evaluate the meetings and conduct the meetings in his absence. Those were days when telephone was not popular. He says whenever they met someone they used to talk about TM. Meetings were held with 5 people at times. For him, it was like even if he wanted to opt out, the others will not allow. That was the passion he had generated. It took a year for the club to get twenty people coming regularly. After a year, club had 20 members, and on Oct 22nd 1992, "Garden City Speaker’s Forum” had the Charter meeting in Hotel Holiday Inn. The journey for him was not a cake walk; there were many hurdles which they had to overcome. Many people shared his vision and joined hands with him to make this a movement in India. Chittur never says I, he always say we did it. According to him 6 committed people are required for any organization to succeed and he had it.

The next club was started in Smithkline Beechem Ltd a Corporate club. He and his collegue Venketasewaran would travel 21 kms regularly to mentor the club. There are more than 60 clubs in Bangalore alone; the numbers are growing every day. Garden city toastmasters club will be stepping into adolescence in June, 2011. Thousands of people are able to communicate, interact, lead and achieve because of toastmasters. Public speaking is not a tough nut to break any more, Toastmasters is helping people to conquer their fears. Many soft skills and corporate trainers are products of toastmasters. Renowned trainers such as Rajan Parulekar, Daniel Pacheko, Siraj Rehman, Cladius Periera, Robinson D souza, Deepak Justin and Ian Faria are part of this wave. In the initial stages the club did a lot of youth Leadership Programs in schools. Tears roll down his cheeks and throat dry away when he remembers the feedback he got from people , many people walked up to him and said “My life changed because of your mentoring”. Many became good sales persons, most of them could express their ideas, and many could communicate pretty well with co-workers and managers. This motivates and inspires him to move on. All great leaders in the past were great communicators; we adore leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln for their oration styles. The way we communicate determines the quality of our lives. Chittur always had the option of starting a training institute and not toastmasters. Toastmaster is a non-profit organization. In 1991, making toastmasters familiar was a herculean task; a new place with no friends, very few telephones, media was not ready to write about it, there was no internet; it was only through word of mouth they publicized. Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless. Even today Chittur attends toastmasters meeting and inspires people to become better leaders and speakers; he also sponsored 15 new clubs. He also organises RYLA’s ( Rotary Youth Leadership Programs) in aided schools through Rotary regularly. Chittur is a role model to people who want to make a difference to the society. Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls. All that we can do is, thank this great soul, for his conviction in his dreams and thereby making them a reality to add value to the society.

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Heart-to-heart with

Darren Tay As I stared hard at the blank piece of paper, one thought kept gnawing at my mind - “How am I supposed to condense the ups and downs of my 13-year Public Speaking journey into a concise article? How do I even begin?”. Just then, a fleeting notion flashed across my mind “If only I was born with the natural flair of a competent writer…”. I smiled. If there is one thing that has been consistently influential to my public speaking success, it would be the ever-present dilemma of “Nature vs. Nurture”. My pen began to move freely on the paper. Contest Chair…fellow Toastmasters…

Before I continue, I believe it would be very presumptuous for me to even suggest that this article contains learning points that will undoubtedly result in winning the WCPS. Instead, what I hope to do, with this article, is to share with you the experiences and takeaways that have shaped me into who I am today. If you find this article relatable or applicable to your ongoing road to success, then it is with great content and certain humility that I believe I have achieved my purpose. Even A Professional Started Out As A Novice Before I embarked on my Public Speaking journey, as a reserved individual, I was clearly on the camp of “Nature”. Whenever my teacher posted questions to the class, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact were almost instinctive reactions. As for group projects, I would voluntarily retreat to the back-end role of editing reports and designing slides. Additionally, I found myself constantly overshadowed by the more vocal classmates. Truth be told, I admired them. This further reinforced my then mindset that the courage and ability to speak well are innate. The turning point came when I was 14 years old.

Miss Abey, my then Civics & Moral Education teacher, offered me an opportunity to do a fire safety presentation in front of a class of 40. Up till now, I still cannot comprehend how she convinced me to do it. More importantly, upon the conclusion of my presentation, Miss Abey turned to the class and commented “Class, this is how all of you should present next time!”. That was a life-altering experience. In hindsight, I realised that it was not about whether I had excelled in the oral presentation then. Rather, it was the first step forward that I took beyond my comfort zone that truly mattered. If I were to describe the aforementioned event as a crack in the floodgates, what really threw the floodgates wide open was another subsequent opportunity (again, afforded by Miss Abey) to speak in front of 120 schoolmates, the English Language Head-of-Department, the Principal and the teacher-in-charge of Debate. Without holding back, I stepped up to the plate once again. What followed was me being shortlisted as a member of the school’s debate team and I have been running my mouth ever since.

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In Essence… At the end of the day, it is crucial to grab the opportunities available to us and push ourselves beyond the limits. It is only by overcoming our fears of stepping beyond our self-circumscribed boundaries and comfort zone that we will be able to ride on the momentum and strive progressively for betterment. Once overcoming the inertia, the next step is to practise diligently. 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren LaCroix, precisely expressed this principle in his iconic motto: Stage Time, Stage Time, Stage Time. We gain competency and eventually, mastery, not merely by reading public speaking books and listening to great speeches, but through hours and hours of actual speaking. The art of Public Speaking parallels that of any other sport such as swimming and cycling. You cannot learn swimming or cycling by simply watching someone else do it or by reading a book. You will have to put in the effort; practise it. Referring back to the dilemma of “Nature vs. Nurture”, indeed, talent coupled with effort results in Public Speaking skills being attained; this is the stage where the disparity is most apparent. However, for these skills to lead to achievements and consequently success, effort is required throughout. In light of this, I would like to leave you with three habits in which you can put in effort into cultivating: 1. Think Positive, 2. Keep A Word Bank & 3. Rehearse And Rehearse. Habit #1: Think Positive Wait a minute Darren. Isn’t that too much of a cliché? I hear that all the time. Surely, I am not spending more of my time to learn something that I already know. Indeed, it is true that many of us have heard of this piece of advice “Think Positive”. However, how many of us really understood the impact it brings instead of the lip service most people proffer? How many of us actually know how to think positive? And

how many of us actually believe in it or have seen it in action? Allow me now to illustrate with a quick exercise that you can try in the comfort of your own home. Ready a stopwatch. For the next one minute, think of nothing but a Blue Elephant. Think about the size, the contours, and the intensity of the colour of the blue elephant that you have just conjured in your mind. When the time is up, I want you now to close your eyes and think of anything else other than the Blue Elephant; not even for a split second. Do so for one minute. What is the result? Are you able to keep the image of the blue elephant away from your mind? It is nighimpossible! The reason behind this phenomenon is that our brain is a fascinating organ. It is capable of remembering things and not forgetting even for as short a period of time as one minute. Imagine the cumulative minutes and hours, sometimes even days, months or years that we fixate on negative thoughts. It will translate into reality! As the famous saying goes, “An Act to a Habit...a Habit to a Character... and a Character to a Destiny”. Thus, it is important to visualise positive things instead of negative ones. You would not want the negative thoughts to stick like the image of the blue elephant. Suppose, you tell yourself “I shall not forget my lines on stage”; “I shall not tremble with nervousness when I am on stage”; “I shall not trip over the words that I use in front of my boss”. More often than not, the outcome is that you WILL forget your lines on stage and et cetera. Scientific research have shown that when we feed our mind with a “negative” such as “Do NOT”, it will omit the word “NOT” and instruct the body to perform the act that you least desired to occur. As such, the solution I would like to proffer is to phrase things in the positive.

Instead of saying “I will NOT trip over my words”, say “I will speak smoothly”. Instead of saying “I will NOT forget the lines”, say “I will remember my lines”. In Essence… Therefore, the first habit of a highly effective public speaker is to think positive as that will translate into positive acts, leading to positive outcomes. Of course, on top of changing the words you use from the negative to the positive, there is another technique that you can employ to ensure greater speaking success, corporate meeting & presentation, social networking and job interviews. Prior to the event itself, visualise yourself completing your speech. Picture yourself doing so, in a confident fashion. Picture the smiles on the faces of your audience; and picture the desired outcome being fulfilled. Echoing the words of Andrew Matthews, international bestselling author of the book Being Happy!: “Your mind is a magnet; you attract what you think”.

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Habit #2: Keep A Word Bank You recall when you were young, your English Language teacher had probably advised you to keep a book or notepad documenting all the new words that you have learnt. It could be words on a sign that you found interesting or one which your classmate used in show-and-tell session. Likewise, World Champions of Public Speaking exhibit a common habit they have a bank to store words, phrases, sentences, funny anecdotes or quotes that they have encountered. This could happen while travelling to work or even shopping for groceries. Over the years, you will find your bank deposits accumulating substantially that will serve you well in your professional speaking career. It is a conscientious effort that you have to execute religiously. Good speech materials will not be able to pop up overnight. They have to be accumulated.

faintest pencil mark is superior to the best memory”. Hence, always remember to have your Bank with you no matter where you go. Habit #3: Rehearse And Rehearse The hallmark of an excellent speech is that it can be executed even with eyes blindfolded and ears muffled. Not easy at all. Multi-fold rehearsing is essential. As the saying goes “Practice makes Perfect”. However, what is not often advised is the proper and most effective way of rehearsing your speech prior to your actual presentation. There are three prominent points that you can note:

The entire point of documenting the word or phrase or story in your bank is so that you have a powerful and diverse source to tap your winning speech materials from. Of course, I can almost hear you exclaiming in your mind aloud “Ah, but didn’t you just say that captivating stories are understandably memorable? I can most certainly remember them. I have a good memory.”. Well…you are quite right.

Firstly, make sure you have your speech written out - word for word (as what I am doing now). Understandably, your natural reaction would be that such methodology is counter-intuitive especially after what we have been indoctrinated since young with the constant reminder: Never ever write your speech in prose. Always do it in point form. However, penning down your speech allows you to exercise the economy of words where the pain-staking and meticulous arrangement of words will enhance the strength in the delivery of the core speech message. Additionally, although this may just be a personal opinion of mine, I feel that hand-writing your speech adds a bit more poignancy to it.

However, barring the possession of an eidetic memory, it is quite impossible for you to remember every single intriguing occurrence for the past 10 years and it might be too late for you to try and recall it the day before your presentation. As the famous Chinese saying goes “Even the

Secondly, ensure that you have an experienced and reliable mentor with you to provide you with feedback at every phase of your preparation. Your mentor will help to accelerate your learning curve by sharing with you areas for improvement such that you avoid tried and tested but

In Essence…

ineffective aspects. Getting a good mentor is a discernible pattern amongst the many World Champions of Public Speaking. Thirdly, remember the time when you heard some speech guru advised you to practise your speech in front of the mirror? By and large, that is useful as it heightens your awareness of your flaws and it is always more potent to observe your own flaws first-hand. Be that as it may, practising or rehearsing in front of a mirror is not the best idea as you have to take the conscious effort of looking at yourself in front of the mirror without having the space to take on more exaggerated body language. Thus, the best solution is for you to invest in a video camera and videotape your performance. By video-taping your own performance, you can review your entire performance to study the appropriateness of your body language for subsequent fine-tuning. The Red Card Light Flashes There is a whole host of factors involved in moulding a successful Public Speaker. I would like to conclude by sharing not yet another controllable factor, but an uncontrollable one - Fortuity. I was fortunate to be furnished with speaking opportunities at the budding stage. I was fortunate to be showered with guidance and encouragement in the Toastmasters family. I was fortunate to compete with strong fellow district champions. I was fortunate to receive much-cherished guidance from my mentor, Ed Tate (2000 WCPS). We may all disagree with the weight of luck playing a part. But at this very moment, I feel truly blessed. Thank you.

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Youth Leadership Program

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just do itâ&#x20AC;?

EVENT: Youth Leadership Program (YLP); Place: Panimalar Institute of Technology (PIT), Nr Chennai VISION: To empower students with articulating their skills, knowledge and thoughts in a structured manner for empowering them in their personal and professional development. MISSION: To provide students of PIT, foundation level communication and leadership skills through a structured, cost effective, outcome-oriented and short duration program.

It was 20th Sept 2015. As a Trainer, I was providing regular Skill Training to students of the college. I noticed a gap in communication skills in the students. I felt Toastmasters programs could help them articulate, structure and present their thoughts and knowledge effectively and confidently to their listeners. Having participated in a few YLP events at other educational Institutions in Chennai and TN, in the past, I knew it would help the students immensely. Besides, by providing encouraging and motivating evaluations it would boost their confidence. The college agreed to my suggestion and wanted to understand more about Toastmasters. On Feb 29th 2016, the college requested us for a briefing plus demo session on 16th March 2016. Three of us went and explained about Toastmasters and YLP, followed by a TM demo session. During TT many students came forward and they did a splendid job. They felt that they could speak without fear if they practiced. Post session, we discussed with the senior management of the college to plan for the YLP. After a few weeks of follow ups, on May 5th the college mailed me confirming 250 students for YLP starting 9th July, every Saturday for 8 weeks. With the help of TM Vijayalaxmi S, TM Sateesh Kumar and TM Sunil Baffna who helped me in estimating cost of materials and purchase process we placed our order to TMI after receiving the money from college. The next job was to form a team of TM volunteers. I contacted many members by emails and through personal visits. It was June and club elections time. I had to wait for the new excom to take charge. Meanwhile, I got the interested TMs to fill their names in an online googlesheet with their available dates.

On 12th June, after my YLP intro speech at CTM meeting, DTM Nina John, TM Jaichitra and TM Sunil Baffna discussed on the project. We had to inform the college to split the students into two groups of 125 each. Fortunately the college agreed for this. Meanwhile, during Ovations in end May the new Team of District officers had taken charge. In end June I visited the DOTP event, where I could interact with the District officers about this YLP. Here DTM Suganthi helped me finalise the list of team members (co ordinators, asst co ordinators), the day-wise event plan, the Education speakers, and the finer points of action plan. We shortlisted 12 TMs from the online responses. The D Date for the first YLP session on 9th July was nearing fast. We planned a YLP orientation session for the TM co ordinators on July 2nd at TCS during TTT. The YLP opening event at the college on 9th July was grandeur. Here TM Badhrinath helped in the distribution of 125 students into 6 batches, assigned 2 TMs co ordinators to each of them. And we were good to go to kick off our first session on 16th July. We had planned Education sessions every alternate Saturday, so that the students get more time in between, to practice. The Education speakers DTM Saro, DTM Nina John, TM Partha, TM Sridhar Ranganathan, TM Noorain and DTM Jayan Narayanan enthralled the students. Managing and motivating a virtual team of 12 TMs, week after week, was a HUGE learning for me. I was sure that if my TM team went back satisfied and contented every week, they would be energized to come over the following weeks too. A few experienced TMs in the team helped me with planning meeting

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agenda. I helped them plan their travel pooling and ensured every session starts and ends on time. There was a high degree of camaraderie amongst us. But like in all volunteer based projects of this size, there were few hiccups here too. I had to deal with last minute drop outs from Co ordinators. Here prioritizing, proactive planning and sometimes being assertive helped. We had created a strong bondage as a team so everyone came forward to support in any crisis situation. Also in a few sessions, we had high students drop outs. Looking at our TM team’s selfless dedication and commitment, the college authorities took it on to themselves to ensure full attendance from their students. We stuck to our motto “never to fall short of the magic no. 12”. Week after week, we went with our 12 member Co ordinators TM team. I maintained and updated all the records of TMs who contributed so that the deserving would be recognised suitably. As the weeks rolled by, the students showed definite signs of picking up the learning from YLP. The TM co-ordinators team who gave their sweat and blood week after week, were the real heroes in this YLP. Their complete dedication and commitment to train the

students and the students too reciprocating effectively, was the cornerstone for the success of the YLP. The passion and do-whatit-takes attitude by the college authorities was exemplary. Their excellent hospitality inspired us every week. A BIG Salute to each member of my TM team and to the college authorities for their support. “Well begun is half done”. Right from the start, my Lead team and Guidance committee comprising of DTM Suganthi Periasamy, DTM Sunil Baffna, TM Jaichitra and TM Badhrinath gave me full support in planning and executing the project. They gave me the freedom to work independently but constantly had their watch on us, to ensure high quality and outcome of the program. I sent my regular updates of the progress of the program to them. I gained a lot from their suggestions. The culmination of the YLP was the Valedictory on 10th Sept. This all-student event showcased their learnt skills in front of the entire college. 50 students volunteered for different roles. Their prepared speeches, TT speeches and Group Discussion were a treat to watch. The students who did roles like Emcee, SaA, Timer and others ensured we gave a clockwork and par excellence performance. The District officers appreciated the students’ efforts.

We had over 45 TMs from 17 clubs (8 being corporate clubs) from around Chennai contributing for the YLP; this could be a record in itself.

In this process of seeding the YLP idea, germinating it, then nurturing it and finally leading a team to the fruition of the project, I have understood and unlearnt many of my communication and leadership AND Personality flaws. I have learnt how to be patient and considerate with the team and sometimes being firm too. The Leadership lessons have been immense and it has also shaped my character to a large extent. I learnt to have belief and trust in the team. I learnt that the only barrier to our learning is “the self”. I learnt from every resource I met, spoke and interacted. I also learnt effective use of technology tools like watsapp, googledocs, etc which do wonders while leading virtual teams. I also have learnt that it is in the GIVING that we end up GETTING more. “Servant leadership” is the key ingredient for success in such humanitarian and noble activities. This is what I feel is connecting us to the higher purpose. I am sure this YLP would have kindled new leadership qualities amongst my Co ordinator team members which would help them going forward. Leading and volunteering in such programs is probably the most satisfying step towards contributing for a noble cause of educating the leaders of tomorrow. The take away and learning from these programs is immense, unparallel and unlimited.

Did I say, the same Panimalar Group of Institutions is looking for few more YLPs and Speechcraft for their students over the next 6 months? Yes you heard it right. YLP has helped me to reflect my own strengths and weaknesses and deliver the job at hand with the fullest serenity and enthusiasm. Now no job or project feels challenging for me. Yeh Dil Maange More. As a Toastmaster if you are looking to “give back” to the society, YLP is one such noble opportunity. YLP is a true “LEARN BY DOING” process for any Toastmaster. Its a win-win-win for all the stakeholders viz; the Institution, the Club and its TMs and most importantly the Youth (leaders of tomorrow). So go grab an opportunity if it comes your way; if not CREATE one and JUSTDO-IT.

S Varadarajan ACB, ALB

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Some pictures of the YLP journey:

20th Sept 2015 (My Training session where I introduced TM idea)

16th March 2016 (Intro and Demo session on TMI and YLP)

One of the Education sessions (with so many audience smiles, guess the education speaker!!!)

Our excellent Co ordinators Team with District Officers

My Felicitation on 10th Sept (Valedictory) by College Principal

Co ordinator Team with Role Players and College SPOC

Proud owner of this pin; presented by the DTM Suganthi Periasamy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D82 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Club Growth Director

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Seven Minutes of

Fun and Fame Kaishika Rodrigo WCPS- Finalist 2016 Toastmaster International

You see people rushing in numbers to pick the best seat, the front? The back? The aisle? The center? In other words: where is the best place to sit to watch the most awaited event of the convention The grand ballroom at the Marriott Marquis was well-attended by toastmasters from 145 countries to witness the clash of titans, where the best of the best would combat for the coveted title! “World Champion of Public Speaking 2016” Contestant number 7! Seatedon my designated chair recollecting everything that lead me to this moment. Everything hinges on what I do in a few minutes, and once done it can never be undone. The thought alone elevates your palpitations in ten folds, the atmosphere in the dimly lit grand ballroom gets intense by the millisecond leaving your mouth dry and your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth. I can’t really sit still. Fidgeting with a hand or a foot. My palms are definitely starting to become a little moist. I don’t feel so good. I feel nervous. What do you do when the adrenalin rush is so much? You simply stand up! And Dance! That’s right! 10 contestants start dancing in front of a packed house! You could hear people walking past us saying “Look at them, completely chilled out” (If only they knew why we were dancing in the first place) The contests begin, 10 world class speeches delivered on anenormous stage for an amazing audience. Each speech had a stand out element, technique that left the audience in awe.Soon it was my turn, I stand up and take a deep breath and meet the crew backstage for assistance with the headset microphones. I am at the foot of the ramp smiling at my mentor/ contest chair Toastmaster international president elect DTM BalrajArunasalam when a member of the backstage crew poked me and asked me for the first sentence of my speech. (Believe me!) I went blank! Words got stuck between my mind and mouth. For at least 15 secs, I honestly did not know why I couldn’t recall my first sentence of the speech. Perhaps it was the stress and anxiety kicking in.

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My title was announced, I picked up my first sentence with a smile of gratitude I walk up on that stage whispering to myself “It’s 7minutes of fun & fame Kaishi, make the most of it” I deliver the speech, I hear the audience appreciate my efforts and I walk off that stage smiling because I know it wasn’t my plain efforts that got me throughbut a masterpiece chiseled by my mentors. DTM BalrajArunasalam, Dr. DilipAbeysekara, WCPS 2014 DhananjayaHettiarachchi, WCPS 2015 Mohammed Qahtani, and & entire district’s overwhelming support and love. The results were announced, I let a sigh of relief and whispered to myself “The best one Won” The spirit in the house was so high and cheerful it inevitably got us all in celebration and in no time all 10 contestants were flocked by toastmasters congratulating& thankingus for sharing stories and experiences. So I walk out of the Grand ballroom for some breathing space and I see this gentlemen hurriedly walking up to me grinning from ear to ear with his hand outstretched for a handshake. I smile with a nod and before I could utter a word he starts by saying “I want you

to know something, I’ve lost many a times as an entrepreneur and every time I picked myself up people kept questioning me “What is wrong with you, don’t you want an easy life” and today your speech gave me enough courage to pick myself up and make my dream come true!” I was startled by this account &many more coming my way. From signing story books for kids towarm hugs from senior toastmasters, I literally did not see that coming. What do you do when your speech has immersed the audience beyond your expectations? You certainly feel responsible for the words you choose,& for the stories you shared. Because it had the power to change lives. We often think it’s a 7 minute task on stage. But it is about an opportunity to reach thousands across bordersto share a message. A message that has the power to change lives. Think about that for a moment, because it is literally an Earthmoving statement.

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Leadership

in Toastmasters Learning through

Executive Committee What positive influence has being an Executive Committee (ex-comm) member had on your career? Everyone has a reason to join Toastmasters. As evidenced by countless speeches, it leaves a mark on every individual’s life. We were curious about the extent of the part it played in helping members in their professional lives - whether in networking, finding a job, furthering one’s career, finding new opportunities, solving problems, showing leadership in times of crisis et al. Toastmasters places a lot of emphasis on leadership. A good leader also needs to be a good communicator. An aspiring leader’s journey starts at the club level. Those are the Toastmasters’ equivalent of grassroots. It is where the real leadership training starts. Being part of a club’s executive committee requires the ability to have a vision, to shoulder responsibilities, to be empathetic, to be a good mentor/guide, and to carry the club baton forward from the previous team. These are some of the qualities that organisations expect from their employees. Having demonstrated them in a formal setting such as Toastmasters can potentially have an incredible impact in one’s career. Therefore, we asked the past executive committee members of various clubs about their experiences in performing their roles. Let’s see what they have to say…

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Learning as Secretary Secretary For understanding the role of a club secretary, we spoke to someone who has not only accomplished a lot, but also knew the role inside and out. Who better to ask than Ramyaa Rajasekaran of the Chennai Wordsmiths club! She has not only chaired several club events and contests but is also known for conducting four secretary trainings at four different OTPs. We asked her about the role of club secretary. She says, “The secretary of a club is an unsung hero. The primarily responsibility of a secretary is to draft minutes of the club meeting and ex comm meeting, to prepare agenda for ex comm meetings and to track the status of every action point discussed. It involves supporting the president and the entire club and thereby driving club growth.”

How important is it to have good organization skills as a secretary? “It is very, very important to have organizing skills and discipline to succeed in any role. As a secretary, organizing skills and delegation is very important to perform the role.” Ramyaa acknowledges that the role of the club secretary has helped her in articulating ideas and presenting them in an effective manner. It has helped her hone her written communication skills, become very observant and recall the contents of a meeting with clarity (business meetings in professional life), proofread MOMs (business emails and documents) and redefine action points. Additionally, jotting down points (as a secretary) became a habit.

Her mantra "It is wise to target one rabbit at a time."

When asked about advice she has for those eager to take up this role, she says, “While taking up this role, commit to it for the next 6 months. Fix the number of speeches, leadership roles, contingency roles (often ex comm members would back up any role) you plan on. Remember to delegate MOM preparation while taking up other roles. This would help with consistent progress in (your) Toastmasters’ journey. Learn to say 'NO' at times.”

Before signing off, we asked her about the expectations she had when she took up the role and how it changed towards the end of her tenure. Ramyaa answers, “In the beginning, I thought it was just a role. I realized that it was quite a serious affair when I attended OTP. At the end of the term and even later, I realized I was performing better in professional and personal life. After all, that's what communication and leadership is all about.”

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Learning as President President: Priya Muthukumar, the charismatic area director of I3, is the immediate past president of Rising Pillars Toastmasters club. Under her leadership, the club has grown formidable in terms of talent and potential. It has won many awards at District conferences. One look at the young club’s resume will inform the reader of its extraordinary achievements. Within merely 1.5 years of its existence, it has managed to get noticed by all of District 82.

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All this makes one wonder how influential the role of club president is.

Priya says in her own words, The moment a Toastmaster is elected as the president of the club he/she will be asked to deliver the presidential acceptance speech. In those two minutes, you must inspire with words. Further, through your activities you demonstrate to your members that we are walking together towards a mission. An acceptance speech without the mission is similar to building an air castle.

When she took up the role, the club was in its nascent stage. And her team comprised of relatively new ex comm members. Therefore, the primary goal was to make them understand their roles and responsibilities. It required patience. However, she wasn’t deterred by anything. As she began to demonstrate all the qualities that were expected of ex comm members, others were motivated to respond and join in. Now, coming to how this demonstrates leadership in her professional life, Priya says, “It made me react less and respond more. I learnt how to influence others in a positive way.” Her ex comm team had members belonging to different age groups and it provided her with an opportunity to understand how their perspectives differed during each challenge.

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While Priya has demonstrated the best way of going about with executing her role as the president, we asked for her views on the don’ts. She says it’s all about building one’s own standards and not blindly imitating anyone. “You can’t please everyone, but you need to act on genuine feedback given to you.” Before signing off, we asked her about memorable moments in her presidential term. She said,”They received a silver badge crediting our club for being rank 4 from Tamilnadu and Srilanka. That was a goosebumps moment for us as a baby club chartered in the year 2015. And yet we managed to accomplish so much!” We can’t agree more!

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Learning as SAA Sergeant At Arms Thribhuvan is a friendly and popular face within District 82. Known predominantly for being the conference chair at Division G’s semi-annual conference, he has also chaired several humorous speech contests in his club. He is someone who brings the best out of every role he takes up. Thribhuvan has served as SAA. The SAA - Sergeant At Arms - facilitates the meeting on the whole. When quizzed about his experience he had this to say.

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What have you learned from your experience as SAA? Thribhuvan says, “Being club officer is about learning, day in and day out. We learn and improve as we perform each and every role. It might be a role as an ex-comm officer or a role in a regular club meeting, division or the district conference. Each role has its own unique importance and impact. This learning fills the gaps in improvement.”

How impactful has it been on your career/career aspirations? “I have started my own business and am running it. This is the impact!”

What advice would you give those who are standing for elections next year? He says, “All roles in Toastmasters are unique and they all provide a different dimension to learning.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves! And with that little piece of wisdom he signs off.

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Learning as a Treasurer Treasurer Sriram Venkatraman is a member who has a certain charm and ease with people. He is well-known for several reasons in District 82 and here are some. He was recognized as an Outstanding Member by DTM Sastharam, the immediate past district director of District 82, for which he received the coveted Toastmasters Tie. He was recognized as the Best Mentor in the term 2015-2016. He is also known for chairing ‘Emergence’ in January, 2016. Sriram’s answer to our questions reflected his commitment, wit and humour. What skills are necessary for an individual to successfully perform his/her duties as the treasurer?

Budgeting can be a major challenge especially if your club has a diverse class of people (freshers / managers / senior managers). Also, when it comes to money people are sensitive. You should not be a miser or a spendthrift and prepare a balanced budget. Remember to provide justification when people ask you what the extra money is for (for any amount you collect beyond $36). Always collect money only once. If you fix an amount, that should be final for the term. Firstly, have a discussion with the ex-comm. And then, present your budget. Lastly, finalize the amount. Always look at the club’s past two years’ expenditures before presenting the budget.

According to Sriram, good negotiation skills are absolutely necessary for a treasurer since he/she should provide justifications to ex-comm on budgeting and present it to the members in a persuasive manner. (Negotiation does not mean bargaining. Here, it refers to collecting money). Good budgeting is very important since this leaves a favourable impression about the treasurer.

Always present the expense/income of the club periodically to the ex-comm. With approval of the president, you can furnish the same to the members. Always maintain transparency. Also, as a treasurer, don’t wait for people to raise requests for reimbursement. Take initiative and reimburse. This will create a good impression among members as they feel valued. Also, retention will be high if you do so.”

What are some dos and don’ts and other things to keep in mind?

If you are asked to be the treasurer again, what will you do differently? Why?

“Don’t get carried away by people’s emotions. Always keep your locker safe and have cash in hand. And always ask for bills during reimbursements. If you can’t get bills, have your own bill book. Get it attested by the president. Always be transparent to the ex-comm and club members. Show sincerity and conviction.” Maintain an account book and a tracker. That is very simple to understand and is also essential. “Please be aware of latest government policies and tax implications. Consult an auditor well in advance before your term starts and also have audits when a term ends”. Are there any challenges involved? Should we watch out for anything specific? “Collecting money in itself is a big challenge, especially if your club is self-sponsored. You should be proactive in reaching out to members. Also, don’t cook up stories about Toastmasters. Speak as a treasurer and make them realize that the money spent on Toastmasters is well spent money.

“I have been treasurer twice. So I don’t mind doing it again. You don’t need to do anything differently. Just be prompt in providing justification for any amount collected. Be a friendly person. Each rupee should be accounted for and valued, not wasted. You can have very attractive schemes like EMI. Collect 50% first and rest in another month. You can consider giving discounts to people who refer their friends to the club. This perks people up. Sometimes, if you have surplus club money, you can use them to minimize membership fee.” Who, in your opinion, should take up the role of a treasurer? Individuals with an interest in accounting and have good negotiation skills should take it up. It is important to be calm and patient at all times.

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Learning as VP – Education Vice President – Education Dikshma Paul has had an impressive Toastmasters journey. An important part of being the VPE of a club is being able to motivate individuals to pursue their respective CCs, CLs, ACBs, ACLs, etc. It’s a job that requires a lot of conviction and positive attitude. When asked on how she went about it, she gracefully gave credit to the “never back down” attitude of her club members. It’s no wonder, therefore, that Dikshma was able to successfully guide her newly chartered club, Sol VIT Toastmasters, into achieving 10/10 DCP points in a span of 6 months. Now, there is a funny story behind the serious achievement. Until as recently as last week, she had been under the impression that the Distinguished club points were to be achieved in 6 months. But in reality, it is to be achieved in a year. It was a fortunate misunderstanding as it led to the club achieving a perfect DCP score in half the allotted time. One of the challenges she faced during her tenure was dealing with the back-outs every week. Again, she credits her club members for readily taking up the roles whenever required.

So how do you plan to use your ex comm experience in your chosen career?

She says, Initially, I used to think about myself, my roles and my commitments only. Now, I think about how others (members) will benefit from my work? Will it make their life better? Am I doing enough for their betterment? That is servant leadership in its pure form!

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Learning as VP – Membership Vice President – Membership Arun Alavala of Infosys Toastmasters demonstrates what it takes to be the VP membership of a club. It’s a tough job as it is, more so when the club has membership retention issues. It is addressing that problem and producing great results that have made Arun stand out. He has set a record of 40% growth in membership in a club that had member retention issues. We asked Arun about his role and the challenges that come with it. In his words, “VPM is the one who is responsible for getting new members into the club and also for renewing membership of the existing members. So ideally, VPM serves as the backbone of club growth.” He says the foremost difficulty is to meet the GG/GG+ criterion on the membership front i.e., to get the base membership renewals on-time and also to ensure membership growth of the club.

How does he do it? According to Arun, the key is in all the vice presidents working together to promote the club. As the VP membership, it’s his responsibility to invite guests and talk to them about the achievements of the club. The VP education ensures that the meetings are of high quality, which helps the VP membership to take things forward. A crucial part of this task is in establishing credibility and good connect with the guests. That’ll help in complementing the VPM’s efforts. We asked Arun his thoughts on this. He says, “If you say that, being a member in Toastmasters improves your communication skills, you should create an impression that you're good at communication to the guests. That is when as a VPM, you gain credibility. Also, a VPM should frequently take up some roles or give speeches in the club meetings in order to gain momentum while speaking to the guests.” Arun has demonstrated exemplary contribution as the vice president of membership of a club.

Who do you think should take up this role?

He says,

Being a VPM will definitely improve one's marketing skills. But, any individual who wishes to gear up for a challenging career should take up this role.

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Learning as VP – Public Relations Vice President – Public Relations Ishan Desai, the president of Fogo VIT Toastmasters, has held big roles in Toastmasters. He is currently the president of his club as well as the PR-chair of Reverberations 2016. His charm and no-nonsense style of working makes him an ideal person to work with. We wanted to know his thoughts on what the role involved, beyond text book definitions. In his words, “Often, people think that the role of vice president of public relations is to promote the sessions that a club holds. A public relations role, obviously, is about marketing. But in my opinion, it is extremely important for a VP-PR to also ensure that the club has a strong public image and presence. When you are a part of something, you believe that you belong there and this feeling of belongingness only strengthens when you realize the amount of positivity it brings you. There are many others in your immediate surrounding who have similar interests. But, how would they know that they would be interested in doing what you are doing? They would know that only when they see a strong image of the club that you are part of. Hence, I believe that creating an image of your club is vital.” Ishan likes to go beyond the usual responsibilities in performing an ex comm role. He says any role is open to innovation. And successful implementation of ideas gives an enormous amount of satisfaction. However, they don’t come without challenges. Given his experience, we asked him what those challenges were and where the excitement came from. He says, “If you ask me what the exciting parts of being an officer were, I would say that the challenges ARE the exciting part. Because, it really wouldn’t be fun or enjoyable if everything was easy. The challenges for a VP-PR could be anything - right from HOW to publicise to WHAT to publicise, and to understand what kind of public he/she is advertising to.” Is there a standard strategy for promotion?

He says the answer lies in understanding the target audience and designing appropriate outreach programs. As a club made up of students, he knew what a group comprising students aged between 18 and 24 years gravitated towards, i.e., their interests. Given that they were likely to be active on social media, particularly Facebook, he ensured that every time he did a PR activity, it was available on Facebook too. That way, a massive amount of audience could be reached. “This helped me improve the attendance of our club meetings to a great extent”, he says. When asked about the importance of promoting one’s club, Ishan provided an interesting insight. “It is important to have people of similar interests in the club.” But why? “Simple. This will not only ensure a club that is always growing but will also ensure that every single person has something to learn from another person in the club. And the more like-minded people we add to a club, the more people we get to learn from. It forms a beautiful system in which new members are added to the club, they learn from us, we learn from them and in turn, the club grows to be better than it has ever been.” And now the crucial question: How did being a VP-PR help in furthering your career ambitions? “I have always been someone who is eager to develop his skills at marketing, networking and designing. I wish to pursue a career in a field that lets me employ these skills of mine. If I get into such a field, I would definitely look back at the time I served Fogo VIT Toastmasters club as the VP-PR. I would like to thank my club for having voted me in as the VP-PR for the club. It has really helped me learn a lot.”

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District News Division A – Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Sliema Gunatunge It has been a remarkable first term for Division A with outstanding results, achieving 100% on club member’s participation at Division & District initiatives, club renewals and DCP goals for the year. The Division A Clubs are on track to achieving the plans and goals set for the year, the DCP points on the TI dash board reflect their performance. Division A has plans on PR activities on retention and recognition of membership. Overall it has been a great term for Division A of District 82 and looking forward to the second term 2016/2017. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 96% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 99% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates : Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update:

Division conference The Division A combined Midyear Conference reflected the creative and innovative talents of the members of Division A&J. Themed under “ImAJine- pathways to connect” the conference’s underlining message was ‘exploring creativity to connect with each other’. The conference gave prominence to the membership with an introductory welcome video message from all the clubs of Division A&J. Conference consisted of high quality speeches, upbeat entertainment and energy packed keynote speeches from the District Trio, guest speaker from Sri Lanka’s first Electric car Company and from the Toastmasters International President Elect, DTM Balraj.

Club success plan completed: 100% of Clubs Moments of Truth – 100% of Clubs

Division B– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Samuel Whitefield DIVISION B Team is built on principles and values. Division B is proud of the team which is based on the guiding vision of Toastmasters. We are proud of our four area directors, TM Lakshmi , TM Sai Kaza, TM Richard & TM Reena who plan and execute the desired mission of the Division in precision. The team is equally proud of the extended team who coordinate at all levels for the smooth functioning of the Division. Every AREA in the Division have been unique in their execution of plans and performance , reaching a single goal to be a quality division. The strategy to strengthen the clubs in the respective areas have been exemplary. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation -

Division conference

Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs

The 2016 - Semi Annual Conference of Division B - “Reflections “ was jointly conducted with Division G “Opulence”. It was a pleasure to witness budding toastmasters from both the divisions honing their skills to make it a huge success. We had toastmasters from the four areas of Division B, who came forward to take responsibility to run the conference.

Member participation for Emergence: 92% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates : Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 90% of Clubs Moments of Truth – 100% of Clubs

Special thanks to our conference chair, TM Lakshmi Ranganathan , who meticulously amidst challenges. The Chair was ably assisted by the Co-Conference Chair, TM John Albert who showed to the whole division what Servant Leadership is , by example. Today, when the whole team rejoices, we feel proud of our audience who stood with us all through the day, cheering for each speaker & Leader in the making.

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Division C– Division Director’s Report Division Director – DTM Varuna Ratnaweera The Division C consists of 5 Areas and are headed by 5 dynamic toastmasters performing the roles of Area Directors.Division C decided to tie up with Division J for their OTP programs while forming alliances with Division E for the Mid Year Conference in October 2016 and with Division H for the year end conference in April 2017. As many as 13 clubs in our Division have also won the Smedley Award by adding 5 or more new members during the months of August and September. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation -

Division conference

Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs

Division C joined hands with Division E in organising the Mid year Conference at the Training Centre of Central Bank at Rajagiriya where the Division Contests for Humorous Speeches and Evaluations were carried out amidst a large gathering of Toastmasters from both divisions.

Member participation for Emergence: 100% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 95 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 95 % of Clubs

We are thankful for the various contributions made by the Division E Team led by TM Ranishka Wimalasena, in organising this conference, where we had the honor of hosting International President Elect of TMI DTM Balraj Arunachalam, the District 82's Top Trio DTM Sudash Liyanage, DTM Ajantha Jayawardane and DTM Suganthi Periyasami and other District officials as well as Division Directors from other divisions in Sri Lanka gracing the occasion and providing immense encouragement to all those who took part.

Division D– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Saravana Kumar Division D marched the year forward with only vision of member satisfaction with the movement by catering to the needs of clubs and members. Streamlining the process and systems in club leadership became the top priority. Process oriented approach in clubs will prevail longer than people oriented and good practices. Every club officer serves the club in a better way but channelizing the process will serve as roots and will bear fruits in any term of club and a new club officer will not have to repeat the process of reinventing the wheel. This dream was fulfilled by aligning them with TI and District 82 initiatives by accomplishing 100% or nearly 100%. It then became the habit furthermore in the participation of Smedley Membership Building Program and 50% of our clubs were able to accomplish it. These process of membership building and adhering to the CSP has already yielded the minimum distinguished eligibility of DCP 5 in nearly 50% of our clubs. We have already added 4 new clubs. Inherently all our Areas and Division will become President Distinguished. Division D indeed will be Differentiators! Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation -

Division conference

Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs

Decibel 2016, Division D's Semi Annual Conference was aimed only at serving the difference to members. The vision of uplifting the Division Conference experience to that of a District Convention was envisaged by every Leader associated with Decibel. Right from the venue, High Quality Contestants and Contest Management, World Champion of Public Speaking 2016 (WCPS 2016) Darren Tay as Key Note Speaker marked the prime highlights of a 400 member attendance. We took a chance to make the right choices and eventually brought out a change to fulfill our vision of bringing about a difference.

Member participation for Emergence: 82.5% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 94.1 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 94.1 % of Clubs

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Division E– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Ranishka Wimalasena An Exceptional, Entertaining, Electrifying and many more “E”s to define this family, because “Passion” is their breakfast towards the growing muscle, “Quality”! The inherited traits engrossed with a soft-centered culture drive them to achieve the best like no other. Adding a unique flavor in organizing Division council meetings is seen as significant. Breaking up with the routine style, they started their first meeting, embracing the enchanting nature and later, by broadening the horizons all the way from the city to off-city areas, with the purpose of giving an appealing atmosphere to its members to engage and enrich team spirit.

Division conference

Also, important news updates just before your very eyes! Monthly newsflash “Division E Digest” was another brilliant initiative which was unleashed, with the purpose of educating and giving a hawk-eyed attention on up-coming division activities and target deadlines.

A Combined Vitamin-rich Experience… Conference was successfully concluded as a result of a perfect blend of Leadership along with a perfect vibes of Teamwork.

Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 95% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 79% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 95%

Exceptional Combination... Extraordinary Collaboration... Eminent Cultures... all of these in one Dose, absolutely brought an Experiential Conference like never before!

One main highlight was Conference Chairs, TM Udeni Gnanaweera (Division C) and TM Dilrukshi Rajapakse (Division E) entitling as the "Outstanding Member" in organizing this conference fruitfully. This was awarded by the Club Growth Director - District 82 - DTM Suganthi Periasamy. Division F and H of Toastmasters District 82 held their Mid-Year conference on October 2, 2016 at Benji Ltd in Bingiriya.

Moments of Truth – 95 % of Clubs

The Chief Guest was DTM Sudash Liyanage, District Director of District 82, and the Guests of Honor were DTM Ajantha Jayawardana, Programme Quality Director and DTM Sugandhi Periyasamy, Club Growth Director.

Division F– Division Director’s Report

Everyone was fired up about participating this year under the conference theme of “Feel the Heat”.

Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 74 % of Clubs

Division Director – TM Chandrasiri Wanasinghe Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 84% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 40% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 90 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 78 % of Clubs Division conference Division F has 4 Areas. Area 1, 2, 3 consist of 4 clubs in each Area and Area 4 has 5 Clubs. All the 17 clubs are in good standing. Division Council meetings will be held once a month. So far 3 Division Council meetings were held. There are more activities planned by Division F and only Division conference was held.

The Mid-Year conference is one of the significant event highlights on the Toastmasters annual calendar, where each division selects the contestants for the District Level Humorous and Evaluation speech contests. The winners of each contest will be participating at the District Level contest, where they will be competing with their counterparts in India. All Division Contests were held after a series of Club and Area Level contests. The Humorous Speech Contest was the most anticipated segment in the agenda, which had the audience roaring with laughter for over an hour. Usman Jauffer of Expo Lanka Toastmasters Club and Sudath Fernando from FTZ Toastmasters Club emerged as the winners of the Humorous speech contests of Divisions F and H, respectively. The Evaluation contests selected the best evaluators of each division. This thought-provoking contest pitted the best evaluators against each other to test their skills. Hisham of Yasir of Expo Lanka Toastmasters club and Farweez Imamudeen of KandyToastmasters Club came out on top, representing Division F and H, respectively. The Mid-Year conference provided knowledge, entertainment, and networking opportunities for the Toastmaster Divisions F and H in Sri Lanka, and the next event will be even more exciting, with a brand new roster of talent!

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Division G– Division Director’s Report Division Director – DTM Sunil Baffna Division G is marching forward with enthusiasm, innovation and focus on quality! Combined Area meetings were well organized by Area G1 and Area G3. We have multiple Rising star clubs such as the Orators of Tech Mahindra, Wipro Chennai TM Club and Infosys Shols TM Club who have shown what shown resilience and resurgence. All have added over five new members in the last six months. A new club has blossomed as TCS Maitree Syndicate Club and the second is conceived as North Chennai Club!!! We invite you to be a part of a special and challenging journey of building the first Toastmasters club in North Chennai. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation -

Division conference

Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs

At the semi-annual conference, Division G recognized the clubs with excellence in membership growth and educational awards. 11 clubs were awarded in these categories. Opulence was reflected from all directions as Division G joined hands with Division B to have a combined conference – Opulence’16 & Reflections’16 on 15th of October 2016 at the swanky Swarna Sudharshan hall in Chennai. We have over 450 participants who exercised their abs with non-stop laughter for about 3 hours. DTM Sujith Sukumaran (Past District Director of District 20) graced the occasion and engaged us with his poignant message.

Member participation for Emergence: 90% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 100% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 75 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 75 % of Clubs

Division H– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Chethiya Subasinghe Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 94% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 56% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 94% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 88 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 56 % of Clubs Division conference Division H commenced the Toastmasters year 2016/2017 with a positive note, by activating and getting on track the Clubs in the Division that were so close to closing down. We are proud that we had competitors winning even at the Area level from these clubs at the Humorous speech and the Evaluation contests that concluded. The Division had many District officers visiting the weak Clubs and encouraging them to come up to the required standards and maintain phase with the other Clubs in the Division. The Division’s OTP was a great success with almost 100 attending. All clubs in the Division except for one was represented by at least 3 members and the first timers gained a lot of knowledge,

the others brushed up their knowledge and was up dated on the latest additions and alterations of the rules as well as what’s new in their roles. Omega Line Toast masters Club, a Club in Area H2 invited the World Champion of public speaking 2016 Darren Tay, to Sri Lanka, which was a great achievement and the young world champion was a treat and a life time experience to Toastmasters in Sri Lanka. His presence took Omega Line Toastmasters with Division H to the lime light and he visited a few other clubs too before he left Sri Lanka after a four day tour, which was his first overseas visit after winning the title. The Midyear Conference of Division H with Division F was held in Bingiriya at Benji Limited canteen which was a novel experience to all who attended which had all the comforts of a Hotel at very low cost. The Midyear conference too was attended by over 200 from both Divisions. The contests were conducted in a very professional manner. Division H is also proud to announce that there will be at least two more new Clubs chartered from within the areas of the Division which will be another feather on the hat of Division H. All the Clubs in the division are doing well, meeting the deadlines and keeping in line with the TMI’s requirements with a target of at least the DCP points.

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Division I– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Ramalingam K Division-I always wanted to use digital medium as much as possible to reach our audience and to learn Recently, we launched this new initiative called "Google Hangout session" which happens once in a week. An Established & Experienced Speaker will Host Video session and it will go on for 45 Minutes & 15 Min for Q&A. Since we have allocated more amount of time for this session toastmasters who are attending these sessions get more time to interact with the speaker. And clubs which find it difficult to arrange for an educational speech can get benefitted from this move. We are getting very good feedback from the division. This is taken care by the Division-I, Education & Training Committee. We are also building a good relationship among the division members by organizing fun filled activities. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation -

Division conference

Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs

“Who do you think you are?” It’s none other than Kaishika Rodrigo. She was the key note speaker for the Division-I conference. The expectations were set high right from that point and on the D-day they went ahead of the expectation levels in each and every aspect of the conference. 8 tickling humorous speeches, 8 critical evaluations and show topper is the dance performed by the entertainment team. Toastmaster Kalyan, the conference chair had played an important role in making this conference a great success.

Member participation for Emergence: 87% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 93% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed: 100 % of Clubs Moments of Truth – 100 % of Clubs Division J– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Sanjeewa Fonseka

Division J is a Dynamic division which contains 17 clubs with the addition of Galle and Matara Toastmasters Clubs this year. This expanded our horizons to Matara, Sri Lanka. Over the years Divison J has been doing few special initiatives and this year we are planning to continue the traditions. One of the unique programs in Division J is the “Silent Hero Member Recognition Program”, this was initiated in the year 2014 and we will continue the same this year. We identify members of every club who have displayed extraordinary commitment towards the organization by displaying the Toastmaster values of RISE, with personal accountability towards personal growth and bias for action towards club related initiatives without a leadership position. Further this year division J is planning to continue “Encore – Toastmasters Inter Club Drama Competition” which was a successful and a different type of an event for the toastmaster's fraternity. Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 82% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 95% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed:

60 % of Clubs

Moments of Truth – 60 % of Clubs

Division conference “imAJine 2016” came into being with blessings of Division J Director“TM Sanjeewa Fonseka” and Division A Director “TM Sliema Gunatunge”. Futuristic, Innovation, and Creativity was the Picture they wanted to paint in the minds of the members across the TM Fraternity, and along with the Highlights from the Humourous and Evaluations Contests blending in well, this Vision came into light brighter than expected. Chief Guest for the Event was Dr. Beshan Kulapala. DTM Balraj Arunasalam and the District Council lead by DTM Sudash Liyanage also graced the event. The Success of “imAJine 2016” is fully credited to all the members of both Divisions A&J for their Effort, Commitment, Teamwork, as well as Showcasing Service Leadership at every level.

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Division K– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Sateesh Kumar S We have started with 13 clubs as a base with 10 clubs equal to or above charter strength. Our vision was to help the clubs run their weekly / fortnight meetings without a break. This was preciously carried out with the help of Area Directors, still we have few clubs not operating as planned. With the able support of CGD team and Area Directors direct interaction, we have helped few clubs to up and running. We had conducted few demo meetings at Jeppiar Institue of Tech, Sriperumpudur, Quadaran, Guindy, Apollo Orgadam, Nissan Oragadam and Jappinees institute in Aminjakarai. We are positive to open around 3 clubs by end of Dec 2016.

Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 77% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 84% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 84% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed:

92 % of Clubs

Moments of Truth – 92 % of Clubs

We had 300+ TM members attending this conference from various divisions of District 82, Tamilnadu. Conference was attended by Trio. IPDD and various past leaders of D82 as well. We have brought WCPS 2016 Finalist TM Kaishika Rodrigo as a Key note speaker and hosted 14 Humorous and 14 Evaluation contestants. We had the unique feature of starting the conference ontime and ended 30 mins advance, which was highly appreciated by Trio and TM members as well. A great work done by the Conference Chairs TM Tamil Ilakkia and TM Kalyan along with their army of Role Players

Division conference Division Conference Resonate 2016 was conducted as a Joint Conference along with Division I, Ignite 2016. Conference happened on 25 Sep 2016, Sunday at Swarna Sudharsana Hall. Division L– Division Director’s Report Division Director – TM Mythili When a new born baby is handed over to you, what would your reaction be? Uncertainty? Happiness? Doubt? Or Mixed feelings? That was what I felt when I was asked to lead Division L. Ovation 2016, gave me the opportunity to bring forth my leadership skills, as Division L Director. Look at the google map and span the cities... Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kariapatti, Virudhunagar and Nagercoil... you will probably get an Amoeba as your design.. A new and vibrant division, Division L is raring to go. New clubs, demos, speechcrafts, ylp’s... these are the happening events in our Division. Our focus now is to consolidate the clubs in our division, and make them clubs of good standing. We firmly believe that all other things will fall into place automatically. Looking forward to Division L being one of the best in the years to come... Toastmasters Leadership Institute participation Officers Trained: 100% of Clubs Member participation for Emergence: 100% of Clubs Membership Renewal updates: Clubs Renewed: 95% Club success plan /MOT update: Club success plan completed:

95 % of Clubs

Moments of Truth – 95 % of Clubs

Division conference Levity – A division L conference held on September 24th, 2016 which was a blend of charisma and jolts. Surprisingly amidst many tremors it raised its flag high conducting its first ever division conference of Division L. Exertion towards a successful session started wheeling 2 months before the conference and I should call it a magic to see everything falling in place from day one. Right from setting an exemplary team to picking a colossal place for the conference. It was a package of the 2 best speakers in circuit Mr.Raja Krishnamoorthy and Dr.K.G.Bakthavatchalam, adrenalinecharged contests, peppered entertainment, shower of appreciation and erudition. Though the environment was restless in Coimbatore we managed to conduct the conference as per the agenda set.

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Toastmasters

Leadership Institute - Initiatives and Achievements Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) was established to be the premier educational opportunity for club officers, as well as the membership at large. TLI was formed under the vision and guidance of the Immediate Past District Director, DTM Sastharam Ravendran. As a District, we always set very ambitious goals to achieve; during the 2014/2015 toastmaster year, quality education and training was high on our long list of priorities. Toastmasters Leadership Institute was formed to achieve with this purpose to serve as a premier educational opportunity for Toastmasters’ club officers, as well as the membership at large. TLI is not unique to District 82. Many TLI’s have been established in districts across the world and the role varies from creating basic educational & leadership programs offered by TMI, to conducting advanced training programs with Keynote speakers from around the globe. TLI in District 82 had some key objectives to achieve;

1. Maintain Consistency & Quality • To maintain consistency of the educational training programs such as COTP, JTP & Emergence, that are conducted throughout the district • To maintain quality in the program and equal learning experience, irrespective of division and location the training is held in 2. I ncrease Affordability • To make these basic trainings more affordable to members, thereby enabling more members to attend 3. Increase Accessibility • To spread out the trainings on several dates, so that members will have more options to choose from • To publish dates in advance so that members can plan their agenda’s

Programmes planned and conducted by TLI Judges Training Programme and Emergence: Judges training is for toastmasters who want to be judges or chief judges during the contest season. During the first term, we had a series of judges training sessions conducted with the aim of developing a pool of trained toastmasters who can step in to be judges and chief judges when required.Emergence focuses on contest management and sessions conducted by past district finalists or winners to share their tips, techniques and experience with aspiring speech contestants.

• JTP & Emergence, Sri Lanka :

• 17th July in Badalgama (part of the OTP of Division H)

• 31st July in Colombo (at the DHPL Auditorium, a central location in the business hub in Colombo)

• 21st July in Colombo (same venue to accommodate the high demand from toastmasters)

• We trained 363 toastmasters in these 3 programmes

• JTP & Emergence, Tamil Nadu:

• 09th July in Trichy. This emergence witnessed a total of 72 participants.

• 30th July in Chennai. This emergence witnessed a total of 120 participants.

• 7th August in Chennai. This emergence witnessed a total of 173 participants.

• 23rd August in VIT. This emergence witnessed a total of 63 participants.

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New TLI training programmes introduced this year:

Judges Training and Emergence programmes focus on developing the skills of members who aspire to be judges, contestants or contest chairs.

• 17st September 2016

• This program witnessed a total of 66 participants

• The key trainers of this program were: DTM Gautam Sharma, TM Arna Chugani, TM Noorain Mohammed, and TM Sathya Jayaraman

With the aim of providing opportunities for all toastmasters to learn more from District 82, TLI will conduct 4 more programmes during the year which will focus on other topics. • New Member Orientation: The first of these programmes was the New Member Orientation programme which was for toastmasters who are new to the programme or toastmasters who are keen to refresh their knowledge of toastmasters. The programme included sessions about Toastmasters International, District 82, the communication track, the leadership track, basics of working with mentors, roles of the 7 club officers, meeting procedures and a panel discussion to answer all the questions from the audience.

• New Member Orientation programmes in Sri Lanka;

• 21st August 2016 (at the DHPL Auditorium)

• DTM Mahesh Jayasinghe conducted the basic training module on all content mentioned above. DTM Sriantie Salgado conducted a session on the Roles of the Club Officers and what new toastmasters need to know about these roles. DTM Chrihanthie Emmanuel conducted the session on Meeting Procedures and lessons to learn from these procedures and from the roles played at the club. They were joined by DTM Zameen M Saleem, TM NiroshanNadarajah, TM SabirahCafoor and TM Hingston Lovell for a panel discussion where the participants clarified all their doubts. The session was moderated by DTM ChathuraSooriyaArachchi.

• New Member Orientation program in Tamil Nadu:

• Project Evaluation programme: Our district leaders hadobserved a need for improvement in the evaluations of the Competent Communicator projects. For example,some evaluatorscould improve on what they mention about how well the speaker achieved the objectives of the specific project; some could improve on recommendations given to build the skill a toastmaster is supposed to improve by working on a specific project. It was also observed that Competent Leader evaluations could be more focused on the objectives of the project. As such, this programme was planned to educate toastmasters about the requirements of a project evaluation.

• 23rd October 2016 (at the DHPL Auditorium)

• Past District Governors, DTM Yusuf Jeevunjee and DTM Zameen M Saleem conducted sessions on the requirements of Competent Communicator projects and Competent Leader projects respectively. The programme also included a session for a mock evaluation and a panel discussion where the audience clarified their doubts on project evaluations.

• Upcoming projects: TLI Team is planning a session on the role of mentors to be held in the second term. More details about the programme will be shared in due course.

• A repeat programme is planned to be held in December or January

TLI Team

TLI Chair, Sri Lanka:TM Yasangi Randeni Advisorto TLITeam, Sri Lanka: TM Scerena Dirckze Division Coordinators in Sri Lanka; • A: TM Samrmaa Mahalingam • C: TM Keerthi Wijekulasuriya • E: TM Gaya Hewawasam • F: TMEalilmolleRajagulendra • H: DTMNoorul Munawwara • J: TM Mohamed Inshaf

TLI Chair, Tamil Nadu:TM Alex Jacob TLI Co Chair, Tamil Nadu: TM Shyleswari Rao TLI Coordinators in Tamil Nadu; • TM Rohini Ravi • TM Divya C • TM Thribhuvan Vijay • TM Owenita D’cruz • TM Chockalingam SP • TM Pat

Written by: TM Yasangi Randeni, TLI Chair, Sri Lanka

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From the desk of the

Club Growth Director . . . . Work hard, have fun, make history – Jeff Bezos

”

It looks like the members, club officers, members of the CGD team and District officers firmly believe in the quote mentioned above. We identified our District goals at the beginning of the year and started working on it diligently. It is time, now, to have a look at the results we have produced so far and to make plans for the upcoming term. Let’s welcome the following New clubs:

Club Growth:

• SIT Toastmasters Club -1 (Division L, Area 02)

• SIT Toastmasters Club -2 (Division L, Area 02)

• iNautix Toastmasters Club (Division D, Area 03)

• Ericsson Toastmasters Club (Division D, Area 01)

• LNP Toastmasters Club (Division C, Area 05)

Let’s gear up to soon welcome the following Almost chartered new clubs (paper work is under review with TI or updates are being made by the club as directed by TI): • Pan Asia Toastmasters Club (Division A, Area 02)

• Tamizhootru Chennai Solvendhargal Mandram (Division B, Area 01)

• Towering Speakers (Division B, Area 04) • HSBC Chennai Speakers Club (Division D, Area 01)

• TCS Maitree Syndicate Toastmasters Club (Division G, Area 03)

• Cake Labs Toastmasters (Division J, Area 02) • Pershing Toastmasters Club (Division I, Area 01) • Dell Toastmasters Club (Division I, Area 03) • Kumaraguru Toastmasters Club (Division L, Area 03) • Amrita Toastmasters Club (Division L, Area 03)

• BNP Paribas India Solutions Chennai Toastmasters Club (Division D, Area 04)

Demo meetings were organized at various corporate organizations as well as for community groups starting from July onward. Follow up meetings are being held with corporations where Speechcraft sessions have been concluded successfully. Both these lines of pursuit have resulted in prospective 8 clubs which we are working to charter by Dec 31st, 2016.

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Membership growth and Retention:

• Renewal - 97.5 % of our clubs have submitted the October renewal payments on time. We have 5 clubs with whom the CGD team along with the Area Director is working to send across the payments. We should be 100% renewed by Dec 2016.

•N ew members – We have brought in 1192 new members across the district apart from the 119 new members through new club charters.

Notable achievements by clubs in this area (July 1st – Oct 31st 2016):

• Chennai Communicators Club - 24 new members

• Medley Toastmasters club – 21 new members

• Bank of Ceylon – 20 new members

•S medley Membership building award – Toastmasters International recognizes clubs with Smedley award for adding 5 new members between Aug 1st 2016 and Sept 30th 2016. 93 of our clubs have won this coveted award, making us the district with the 2nd highest numbers of clubs with this achievement, across the world.

• Revival of weak clubs and support to remote clubs – Roadshows / membership drives / club visits were done by the CGD/ CGD Team to the following clubs – Kekirawa Toastmasters Club, Oasis Toastmasters, Matara Toastmasters Club, Nestle Toastmasters club, Coke Toastmasters Club, GSK Toastmaster Club, Holcim Toastmasters Club, DOW IEC Toastmasters Club, CSS Corp Elite Speakers, Coimbatore Speakers Forum, and Nagercoil Toastmasters Club. Speechcraft is being organized by HCL Pinnacle Toastmasters club under the guidance of Area Director to bring in new members.

• Club Coach appointment:

Club coaches have been appointed for the following clubs to help them become stronger clubs:

• InfoTrellis Toastmasters Club

• BIM Toastmasters Club

• Matara Toastmasters Club

• Kekirawa Toastmasters

• Aristurtles Syntel Toastmasters Club

• DOW IEC Toastmasters

• Oasis Toastmasters

• MAS Slimline Toastmasters Club

Area Director visit reports:

154 Area Director visit reports have been uploaded to District Central as of Nov 1st 12:00 PM. Kudos to the Area directors of Divisions I and K for 100% submission.

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HAPPY TOASTMASTERING