MARCH 2014
JAN – FEB 2014 Newsletter of Manama Toastmasters Club. Club No. 2916. District 79
In this issue; •Six Word Story
Page 13
•Two Questions
Page 16
•Book Review – Eat that Frog
Page 21
Regulars; Toastmaster of the Month Members birthdays Word of the Day
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
From the President’s desk Dear Fellow toastmasters,
President: TM Thuraya Juma.
It is the month of March which marks not only the beginning of Spring but also the beginning of my journey with Toastmasters. On 8th of March 2009, I gave my Ice Breaker speech at Manama Toastmasters. It was my first time to speak in front of an audience which was different from speaking in front of my students or work colleagues. I was nervous and reading from a paper. However, the warm and encouraging words from my fellow toastmasters told me that I was in the right place. Toastmasters has helped me to unleash my potential. Now five years down the line, I stand up and speak with confidence. Yet, to become the leader I aspire to be, there is still more to learn and improve on. Dear readers, Toastmaster is an excellent platform to improve and excel in our communication and leadership skills. That can be achieved through commitment and dedication to the different roles we take up during meetings. In addition to that, the constructive feedback from our fellow toastmasters helps as it highlights the good in our performance and points out what we need to improve on. In Manama Toastmasters, we are doing our best to help our members to be the leaders they wish to be. This year the club is celebrating its 50th anniversary of excellence and making a difference in members' lives.
“The task of the leader is to take people from where they are to where they have never been” Henry Kissinger
Best regards, TM Thuraya Juma President; January – June 2014.
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The Horizon
This time of the year is always filled with excitement and anticipation. This is mainly due to the contest season that usually heats up with the District Conference in May and finally, the International Convention which this time around will be held in Kuala Lumpur in August. Needless to say, we are all waiting with anticipation to hear how our club will fair. Please turn to page 26 for dates and venues of the upcoming contests. March saw the introduction of a new contest known as the SWS contest thanks to our innovative TM Sheela Pai. TM Sheela however kept us waiting for a whole
two weeks for the results. The two weeks felt like the longest two weeks we have ever had but finally, TM Sheela did announce the results and what a combination of wit and creativity! For more details of the contest, turn to page 13. March is also the month that women get to be celebrated TWICE in the same month; during International women's day and during mothers day. Manama Toastmasters held a special meeting on 22nd March to commemorate the day led by one of our most creative members TM Maisa Sheikh. The day also saw the celebrants of birthdays and anniversaries in the months of January, February and May being honoured. Please read a mans perspective on the day from TM Kishore’s article on page 11. In Manama Toastmasters, we are always happy to learn from our other members and this month, we received record Horizon contributions from our members; TM
Abraham Josehp shared with us a lesson from his childhood on page 16, TM Khalid Al Qoud shared the lessons he learned from the book “Eat that Frog” on page 21 while TM Clare Cosgrove shared a poem on page 18. We also have an enlightening article on teaching and learning from TM Abdulrahman Al Awadhi on page 19.
Team
TM Guraz Wankadia (Proof reader)
Last but not least, we would like to send out our wishes for a speedy recovery to TM Ratinder Nath’s wife who is currently undergoing treatment. Let us continue to keep him in our thoughts and prayers during this time. Finally, do not forget to join us every Thursday at 6:30pm for a run/walk session. Remember, a fit body = a fit mind. TM Hannah Karanja. Vice President Public Relations. January - June 2014
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TM Claire Cosgrove (Proof reader)
Remember;
Leadership is action Not position. ~Donald H. Mcgannon
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Contents 11
13
11. International Women's day – By TM Kishore Babu 13. Six Word Story – By TM Sheela Pai 16. Two Questions – TM Abraham Joseph 18. From the Toastmaster’s Mouth – TM Claire Cosgrove 19. Who Teaches, Learns – By TM Abdulrahman Al Awadhi
5. Club Updates 6. Toastmaster of the Month – TM Kishore Babu 7. How to Win! 8. March Meetings at a Glance
9. The Ex-files - Librarian 10. Toastmasters’ Roles – By TM Asrar Merchant
19 15
21. Book Review – By TM Khalid Al Quod 23. Word of the Day 24. Birthdays and Anniversaries
25. January – March birthdays 26. Save the Date! 27. Bird's Eye View
18
28. How Well do you Know Our Toastmasters? 30. Our Executive Committee
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Club Updates 1st March proved to be a special meeting indeed as the club inducted a new member, TM Abraham Joseph, and at the same time welcomed a new CC as our VPPR TM Hannah Karanja completed her 10th project from the “Competent Communication” manual. Welcome to the club TM Abraham and congratulations on your CC TM Hannah.
TM Abraham Joseph New member
TM Hannah Karanja. New CC
We would like to send our get well wishes to TM Ratinders wife Rani who is undergoing treatment in India. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this time.
Like us on facebook to receive updates on our upcoming events and activities. Log on to; www.facebook.com/manama.toastmasters
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Toastmaster of the Month – March 2014 Congratulations TM Kishore Babu on becoming Toastmaster of the month in March with 40 points!
ROLE
POINTS
ROLE
Educational Session
Attendance
MC
15
Horizon Contribution
Project Speech
10
Contestant
Other Roles
10
Judge
Replacement
POINTS
5
Mentor TM Kishore Babu
Dues in Advance
Winner
Dues on Time
Manama Toastmasters is turning 50!!
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How to Win! SECRETS TO BECOMING THE NEXT TOASTMASTER OF THE MONTH. You don’t have to be an Einstein or the next Steve Jobs to become the next Toastmaster of the month. It is really easy! All you need is commitment, enthusiasm and the eagerness of a beaver. With every role that you take up, VP Education will keep a tally as shown on the table below and the TM with the most points wins. It’s really that easy. So what are you waiting for? Contact VP Education TM May Abdulaziz and sign up for a role. All the best!
ROLE
POINTS
Educational Session
15
MC
15
Project Speech Other Role Replacement Dues in Advance Dues on Time
10 5 10 10
ROLE
POINTS
Attendance
5
Horizon Contribution
10
Contestant
5
Judge
5
Mentor
5
Winner
5
5
Passion + Commitment = Winning!! 50 Years of Excellence
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March Meetings At a Glance 8th March
15th March
22nd March
29th March
TM Kishore Babu
TM Maisah Al Sheikh
TM Rashid Mamoon
Men’s day
Women’s day
Wonderful world of books
Best Speaker
TM Abraham Joseph
TM Chirs Noronha
TM Kishore Babu
Best Evaluator
TM Madhavi Tiwari
TM Sheela Pai
N/A
Best Table Topics Commentator.
Guest Gary Clore
TM Madhavi Tiwari
TM Zakaria Suleiman
MC
Theme
50th Anniversary planning Meeting
Area 3 Speech Contest Fellow Toastmasters, You are all invited to our Area 3 Speech contest to be held on 5th April 2014 at the Crowne Plaza hotel from 7pm to 9pm. Representing “The mother club” will be: Evaluations: TM Hannah Karanja
Table Topics: TM Zakaria Sulaiman TM Guraz Wankadia
International Speech: TM Hannah Karnaja TM Guraz Wankadia
Humourous Speech: TM Chris Noronha
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The Ex – Files; Librarian In the upcoming months, we shall feature a member of the excom in each issue and give them a platform to share their goals for the term with the members. In this issue, we feature our Librarian TM Claire Cosgrove TM Claire Cosgrove Manama's Librarian takes a twist and turn towards e-learning and e-librarian duties.
What does this entail? Libraries and librarians have typically been thought of as books and books, and yet even more books. But with the present day and age of electronic devices at our finger tips, in our hands and in our pockets, we Librarians cannot afford to miss an opportunity to snare a potential reader online. And so we have a plethora of options available to us all at the touch of a finger. The grand, wide world of the internet offers us
many such new resources for use on our electronic learning aids. These can range from electronic books (e-books) for our kindles, ipads and smartphones, or even our common old laptop or websites for trawling or apps to download. The price is always right for you – ranging from free to X amount of dollars. And so we begin to explore websites addressing public speaking, communications, leadership, Toastmasters International, our club website, the website of other clubs, etc. The list is endless and limited by the limits of our imagination. So periodically I have sent our links to or articles from specific websites, recommended sites for access to free electronic books, identified potential apps for the mobile devices, sites for improving presentations or improving our voice and all its capabilities.
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So I encourage one and all to first read your Manama Toastmasters emails – follow my directions or suggestions and jump start your electronic learning, jettison into the 21st century online learning. Why, we might even snare our VPPR, TM Hannah into online reading!!! All the very best – happy surfing. TM Clair Cosgrove Librarian January – June 2014.
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Toastmasters’ Roles Open letter to Speakers and Role players from the GE of the day TM Asrar Merchant – Part 2.
TM Asrar Merchant Dear Readers: This is the second and final part of TM Asrar Merchant’s “Words of Wisdom” on effective meetings. For part 1, please check out our January – February issue of Horizon.
Dear Evaluators,
Dear Toastmaster of the evening,
You have all been speakers at one time or another. You all remember the effort it takes to write, edit, re-edit x 1000 times and deliver a speech. Now, in front of you, someone else is putting in that same effort and time. Will you do justice to it? Will you also give your best effort, just like you would like to be evaluated?
You are already doing your role better than I can imagine. Honestly speaking, you are my inspiration to write this mail urging everyone to do their best so that YOUR meeting can be one of high quality learning. All applause deservedly belongs to TM Ammar.
I humbly request you to get in touch with you speakers, find out about the project they are planning to present and if they need to be evaluated on any particular areas of delivery and content, get the manual from them or search for it online and read the project, yes the whole project, don't read just the objectives and evaluate the speaker. Please respect yourself and the speaker. You are playing a big role in improving a fellow member, you are capable of doing this, we the members and the speaker trust your capabilities and look up to you. All the best in improving us.
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Note: I say YOUR meeting. Because it’s only your meeting. We are all role players and members in your team, under you skilled leadership tonight. Inspire us, Motivate us, Guide us, Control us (with time) and for sure we will deliver to you and ourselves a memorable meeting. I am kindly requesting you all to PLEASE COME HOME. Please come to YOUR MANAMA TOASTMASTERS CLUB.
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International Women's Day By TM Kishore Babu the importance of women's contributions in the development of our society. Well, after that, the woman, who represents the women in MTM on 22nd March, and who spoke about the women of the whole universe was ushered in...with aplomb. TM Kishore Babu The mood was set! Of CELEBRATION! And the word of the day was CELEBRATE! Yes, I am reminiscing the colourful, cheerful, flowerful, and womenful meeting of Manama Toastmasters, on 22nd March. And the celebration was not to honour any one, but the mother, the wife, the sister, princess and queen and in short the WOMAN! It was International Women's Day, we were told! Our President Dr. Thuraya Juma's message always strikes a note! And this time, she spoke at length, about
TM Maisa Sheikh. enigmatic MC
Our
Dazzling as always, the Master of Ceremonies, TM Maisa Sheikh just claimed the evening…It was "Veni, vidi, vici"! She handled the job with the ease of a veteran and much more.
I wouldn't be doing justice if I didn’t mention and praise the lovely decoration with flower bouquets on the table, as a take home gift! After all, that’s what a woman is...Shukriya….
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Mashkoura.. GBY, TM Maisa! When you see flower...think...! We had two project speeches. One Educational Speech on 'Keeping the Commitment' by TM Muna Alaiwi, and another by TM Chris Noronha, titled, ‘10 years and Counting’. While TM Muna reiterated and reminded us on our commitment as a toastmaster, TM Chris had tagged along her Prince Charming, Kevin to the meeting! However Mr. Kevin was in an invisible cloak, hence we could only see his headband with his name! Hi Kevin!
The amazing decor!
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International Women's Day – Continued… After the lack-lustre joke session by yours truly, came the fireworks! The Table Topics by the dashing TM Merchant! Quite a novel approach. The privileged commentators took home a certificate, for their individual achievements, would you believe, a certificate for even Spending too much!! However the super intelligent TM Asrar Merchant was careful not to invite TM Claire to comment! Thanks to the TOPIC ON THE TABLE by TM Claire!
Recommendations etc etc were truly Ammar Covey style! Clash of the titans, folks! We heard the verdicts of two seasoned evaluators (Again, two women!), TM Madhavi Tiwary and TM Sheela Pai! I guess it's high time we conducted a work shop on 'HOW TO PRONOUNCE THE NAMES' of members, because every time I hear Madam Tiwari's name and few other toastmasters' names in many variants, which sounds like Chinese or Hebrew!
'CELEBRATED' Humorous session of the Grammarian TM Zakariya Sulaiman! Timer TM Abraham was serious, meticulous and did the job with clinical precision! Well done! The finest was yet to come! The CCC! (Cake Cutting Ceremony, to celebrate the birthdays of members).
The lucky celebrants.
General Evaluator TM Ammar “Covey”. The entry of the SPY, our own 007 in disguise, as the General Evaluator, and his observations,
The amazing (not to mention delicious) cake. The debut performance of TM Nadia Khalfan as the Aaaaahhhhhh Counter proved to be another joke session..! Not to forget the
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However, on a different note, my thanks go to TM Sheela Pai…for the dinner voucher at Crowne Plaza for TWO! I said voucher for TWO…. Is anyone listening?
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“SWS” – Six Word Story By TM Sheela Pai produced’ (another SWS?).
TM Sheela Pai . The first of its kind the ‘SWS’ – the ‘Six Word Story’ contest was held at our club on 1st March 2014. With members & guests having no clue as to what they were in for, we took off.
There was silence as the rules & criteria were briskly announced & everyone embraced the idea. No questions were asked & members just digested the brief with gusto. I couldn’t have asked for a better audience. This concept of writing is credited to Ernest Hemingway who apparently wrote, his first SWS on a restaurant napkin ‘For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn’ – a story with an opening, a body & a conclusion, that he considered his most memorable work.
Coming back to our contest, 24 participants eagerly attempted their first shot at writing a story using only 6 words & telling a lot without saying a lot.
Earnest Hemingway No mean task that for experienced writers & yet our veterans & first timers all began in ‘Ernest’ (pun intended). Most looked into space for inspiration, shook their heads, smiled briefly at no one in particular & Walla! Some ‘monumentally meaningful, miniature gems were
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Guess you want to know what they wrote? Oh sure, 23 Stories that qualified are appended starting with the top six & then in random order. However it was a ‘tiny tale of love and lust’ or was it a ‘terrible tale of love and loss’ or maybe, it was a ‘Tale from Bliss to broken hearted’. A story that succinctly ‘Summed up love in six words’ that captured the hearts of the judges.
SWS winner TM Kishore Babu receiving his prize Ok then, enough of my six word stories. We still don’t know what message the writer was trying to convey but he made a mark & was a clear front runner with ‘Love at first sight. Never again!’ & it was written by our very own Kishore Babu.
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club “SWS” – Six Word Story Continued…
When his name was announced as numero uno on the list, he was speechless. He confessed he had never imagined his hastily written story would be picked for the award. Alas! That’s how great writers are made No. 2 spot went to Sayed Hamad (a walk-in guest) with his story ‘Mr. Next, never gets a turn’. A .brilliant, cleverly conceived story
that had me pondering on the subject. In 3rd place, we had the heartwarming story of Rashid Moosa that had us all chuckling ‘King of the Jungle. Not home!’ Oh yeah, the role of a man has evolved in the modern world. Now, don’t get me wrong…I am no feminist but Rashid said it like it is!
Thanks to our eminent panel of judges Ed, Shauna, Lisha, Azad, Veena & another who spent hours reading & rereading them, which, they said, were intriguing & laced with fear, poignancy, humour & a host of elements that make a good story. And with 3 judges being great writers themselves, they were challenged nevertheless. Thanks also to Crowne Plaza for graciously sponsoring 2 prizes for the 1st and 2nd place with a “Meal for 2 vouchers”. This contest convinced me that MTM is made up of thinkers, philosophers, humorists, crime
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investigators, devoted spouses & incurable romantics all coming in disguise, week after week. I hope this exercise has stirred a desire in us to write & read more. It’s time for our club to take a TED (Transform, Educate and Develop) walk at sunrise or sunset, a time of our choosing. Ask ourselves if we are engaging enough to develop our full potential? Let’s bring out the ‘Ernest Hemingway’ hiding within us. Toastmasters’, after all is not just speeches, evaluations, table topics or theme meetings. There’s plenty more! So let’s continue to challenge ourselves & and tap the latent talent.
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Manama Toastmasters’ Six Word , Stories Writer
.
Six Word Story
1
Kishore Babu
Love at first sight. Never again!
2
Sayed Hamad (Guest)
Mr. Next, never gets a turn
3
Rashid Moosa
King of the jungle.Not home
4
Anonymous entry
Take positive out of electric current
5
Khalid Amin
Happiest Love Story. They never met!
6
Maisa Sheikh
Feeling Fat, use your mouth, zipped!
7
Azza Abdulla
Kid went out. Never came back
8
Guraz Wankadia
Rope from far. Snake when near
9
Hannah Karnajah
Lottery winner finds true love- finally!
10 Kawther Al Taitoon
Open heart surgery killed a woman
11 Munther Numan
Financial problems but also into halls
12 Abraham Joseph
Dream-Discuss-Drink-Dance-Dine-Dwell
13 Claire Cosgrove
High Seas. Low Spirits. Set Adrift
14 May Abdul Aziz
Fish market. Filled with marked Fish
15 Fatima Al Saleh
Young Change World. Wise change Self
16 Karan Singh (Guest ) 17 Tanaji Ahmed
Green! A swear and a sigh Confidence Day. Strolled confidently,suddenly crashed
18 Rainder Kaur (Guest)
Hair Air, How dare, No fear
19 Venkatesh Kumar (Guest) Baby cried and mother was happy 20 Anonymous entry
Broken Window pane, last man alive
21 Muna Al Alawi
Water is the rhythm of life
22 Ramkumar (Guest)
Mirror only reflects your facial expressions
23 Gary Clore (Guest)
I am happy I came tonight
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Two Questions By TM Abraham Joseph And, “How many of you remember and can tell the names of your great grandparents?” MASTER.
TM Abaham Joseph The two questions teachers should ask to the students… When I was in the first year of my pre- university studies (after 10 years of schooling) in the year 1976, one of my teachers asked the class two questions that opened a new concept in my mind that influenced my life thereafter. I don’t think that teachers usually ask these questions in the School. I have never heard any other teacher or Lecturer asking these questions in any other school or college I attended. You may now be very curious to know what those questions were. Yes, the most important questions the teacher asked were, “Do you know the difference between growth and development?”
I had no idea about the first question regarding the distinction between two terms and I assumed that they were the same. Most of my classmates felt the same way. Even though everyone in the class could give the names of their parents, 60% of them could not recall the names of their grandparents and none could recall the names of their great grandparents. The teacher allowed us to have a discussion amongst ourselves during the class hour. He did not give us any clue but asked us to think it over and stated that he would give the answer the following day. Remember, during those days, we did not have any of the facilities that our children
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enjoy today. I was going to college on a bicycle which was a luxury during those days! No electricity at home!! !! We at home had a battery run radio. The college where I studied was not equipped with the kind of books or E-learning system as we have today. The College library had only two English news papers for the entire strength of 1200 students. I was thinking about these questions constantly. I asked my elder brothers to give me the names of my grandparents, which they knew not. (We were away from our parents as we stayed in a hostel during our studies)
The next day, I was very eager to know the answers from the teacher. As the class began, the
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club Two Questions Continued… teacher repeated the same questions. No one could give the difference between growth and development; however a few could tell the names of their great grandparents. Then the teacher answered both questions:•The teacher explained the difference between growth and development. Growing . is natural and almost everything in nature grows by itself whether we want it or not. For growth, the conditions should be favorable and the things would then grow almost without any effort from us. Simple example is the weed that grows in the open land or along with the crop. But development is based on purpose and need.
It need not be natural and automatic, but it is planned and requires dedication and effort with sacrifices during the course of its fulfillment. We will have to undergo lots of difficulties in the process. Example; becoming a person one wants to be, or constructing great buildings or structures, requires planning and lots of sacrifices. The explanation given by the teacher made a huge impact on my life. I feel our youngsters need to know the difference at an early age in order for them to make the difference in this world.
•Why do we need to know the names of grand parents or great grandparents? (Sorry. Even now, I don’t remember all of them). But surprisingly, we know the names of great personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Hitler, and many great people, film heroes and heroines.
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The simple reason is that perhaps we don’t remember our grandparents or great grandparents because we perceive them as not having made any significant (?) contribution in our lives. •If that is the case, then how would you feel if your grand children did not know your name 50 or 60 years from now, when the teacher asks him /her same question? That is the reason why Abraham Lincoln once said “it’s alright if you don’t remember the names of grandparents, but ensure that your grand children know it”. These two questions opened a new way for me long ago. The teacher gave me time to think. Had he answered the questions immediately, I would have not given them due importance. We need to understand the importance of our existence on this beautiful world. We may not get a second chance to come here. We are all here at the right time. It is neither too early nor too late; we are here at the right time according to the Master plan of the Great MASTER.
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“From the Toastmaster’s mouth” This month, we feature a poem submitted by our Librarian TM Claire Cosgrove
.
TM Claire Cosgrove
Millions out there with no words to write down. But their stories need to be heard. Their pain, their grief, their sadness. Their joy, their success. The illiterate, the under priviledged, the less fortunate. The widow in need, the homeless, the sex slave, The child who labours all day for a crust of bread.
We have a voice. We wish to be heard. Grand and glorious! We fight for a ribbon, an accolade, a word of praise! A favourable evaluation that is like another pat on the back. Am I saying it is futile? We are futile? That our words are meaningless? No, never, for there is power in the word. We know this, we claim this, we pronounce this! Many of us speak on social issues and worthy causes But all for the glory of the ribbon Or better yet the trophy. Yes, there are millions out there with no voice.
We could address their causes, their plights, their misery. We could videorecord our gifts of freedom, our story of victory, Our recount of defeat of oppression, of the road to success Or the taste of torture By retelling the stories of those who bear the full brunt of this world. Let our words be their grunt, Let our words be their sighs, Let our words be their cries in the dark and in the wilderness.
I mean those who work endlessly to scrap a meager living. No time for the luxury of rest, no money for education, No purpose for grandiose meetings where we pontificate. Yet we could use our voices, our gifts, our blessings To speak up and to speak out On behalf of our fellow global citizens.
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I challenge you as proficient speakers, to choose the plight of offers as the subject of your next speech. Speak loud and clear, shout till the world hears Post your speeches for all to see Upload your videorecordings. Why not become the Toastmasters with a Human Cry.
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“Who Teaches, Learns” By TM Abdulrahman Al Awadhi to us, and/or outside of our natural strengths and preferences.
. TM Abdulrahman Al Awadhi This wonderful Latin phrase 'Qui docet discit' - 'Who teaches, learns' - very elegantly expresses a powerful learning and teaching maxim, that: A very good way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.
When we try to learn something ourselves, we usually try to understand and acquire the knowledge or skill in a simple direct way, typically using a single sense (reading, or listening). This can be challenging, especially if the knowledge or skill is very new.
We also tend to try to replicate the knowledge - to copy it rather than interpret it - into our memory We tend not to analyze what we are trying to learn any more than is absolutely necessary. We might use certain memorizing techniques also based on copying, such as verbal repetition, or writing it, to accelerate and reinforce the transfer of information into our own brains. This type of learning can become boring and tedious. None of this helps us to be very aware of what and how we are learning, nor does it help us to assimilate the learning at a deep level. When trying to learn something ourselves we tend to do it superficially, which means we are less likely to retain the knowledge/skills afterwards, unless we use and practice what we have learned.
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However, when instead we approach a subject with the aim of teaching it to someone else, our understanding, retention and command of the new knowledge/skill is often dramatically improved, compared to simply learning it for ourselves.
This is due to several factors: our motivation/need to learn tends to increase, because we have a responsibility towards someone else, which increases our commitment and diligence. we think about and analyze the new knowledge/skill on a deeper level in order to understand it, in order to interpret its meaning, to explain it to others. we tend to practice and rehearse the knowledge/skill more than
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club Who Teaches, Learns Continued‌
.
we would if merely learning it for ourselves - because of the increased want to pressure and risks in being responsible for explaining it to someone else - we don't want to make a mistake, especially as our mistakes are exposed to another person (this pressure/diligence increases with the number of people we are teaching) we are inclined to learn more than the bare facts/skill, because learners ask questions of their teachers, and we be prepared for unforeseen questions and learning needs we work with the subject in various communications media - reading, verbal, visual, physical/bodily, etc., in designing and delivering the teaching
we translate or adapt the knowledge or skill sufficiently to optimize its accessibility and appeal to the learner - being able to adapt/translate knowledge/skill requires a much deeper control of the subject than merely absorbing for selflearning. We might additionally advise the learner as to how to implement/apply the learning, and be involved in following-up
after the teaching to assess how the learner has absorbed and understood and applied the new knowledge/skill. All this guarantees that we will have had to approach the subject in a multi-sensory way, and multi-experiential way too, which substantially improves our own understanding and retention of the subject/skill. And all this is represented by the phrase: Qui docet discit Who teaches, learns.
we become proud of our command and responsibility for the teaching - this increases the attractiveness of the personal learning, and so we are more likely to develop a fondness for the subject, because it makes us feel good.
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Book Review – “Eat that Frog” By TM Khalid Al Quod
TM Khalid Al Quod I finished reading a book called “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy. This a summary of the book which I found online. It is about the 21 great ways to stop procrastinating and get more things done, faster. Review these rules regularly until they become ingrained in your thinking and actions and your future will be guaranteed.
1. Set the table. Decide exactly what you want. Clarity is essential. Write out your goals and objectives before you begin. 2. Plan every day in advance. Think on paper. Every minute you spend in planning can save you 5 or 10 minutes in execution.
3. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything. Remember, 20 per cent of your activities will account for 80 per cent of your results. Always concentrate your efforts on that top 20 per cent.
6. Focus on key result areas. Identify and determine those results that you absolutely positively have to get to do your job well and then work on them all day long.
4. Consider the consequences. Your most important tasks and priorities are the ones that can have the most serious consequences— positive or negative—on your life or work. Focus on these above all.
8. Prepare thoroughly before you begin. Remember, proper prior preparation prevents poor performance.
5. Practice the A B C D E method continually. Before you begin work on a list of tasks, take a few moments to organize them by value and priority so that you can be sure of working on your most important activities.
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7. Practice the law of forced efficiency that says there’s never enough time to do everything but there’s always enough time to do the most important things. What are they?
9. Upgrade your skills. The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at you key tasks, the faster you start them and the sooner you get them done.
10. Leverage your special talents. Determine what it is you are very good at doing or could be good at and throw your whole heart into doing those specific things very well.
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club Book Review Continued…
Khalid; Book
14. Maximize your personal powers. Identify your highest periods of mental and physical energy each day and structure your most important and demanding tasks around these times. Get lots of rest so that you can perform at your best.
11. Identify your key constraints. Determine the bottlenecks or choke points internally or externally . and set the speed at which you achieve your most important goals and focus on alleviating them. 12. Take it one oil barrel at a time. You can accomplish the biggest and most complicated job if you just complete it one step at a time. 13. Put the pressure on yourself. Imagine that you have to leave town for a month and work as if you had to get all your major tasks completed before you left.
15. Motivate yourself into action. Be your own cheerleader. Look for the good in every situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive. 16. Practice creative procrastination. Since you can’t do everything, you must learn to deliberately put of those tasks that are of low value so that you have the time to do the few tasks that really count. 17. Do the most difficult task first. Begin each day with your most difficult
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task. One task that can make the greatest contribution to yourself and your work and resolve to stay at it until it’s complete. 18. Slice and dice the task. Break large complex tasks down to bite sized pieces and then do just one small part of the task to get started..
19. Create large chunks of time. Organize your days around large blocks of time where you can concentrate for extended periods on your most important tasks. 20. Develop a sense of urgency. Make a habit of moving fast on your key tasks, becoming known as a person who does things quickly and well. 21. Single handle every task. Set clear priorities. Start immediately on your most important task and then work without stopping until the job is 100 per cent complete. I highly recommend this book to you.
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
1st March, 2014 ______________ Pettifog - Verb Definition: 1. To bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters. 2. To carry on a petty, shifty, or unethical law business. Used in a sentence: He regarded these cautious officials as pettifogging bureaucrats. Synonyms: Paltry, quibbling
15th March, 2014 _______________
22nd March, 2014 ___________
Inimitable – Adjective
Celebrate – Verb
Definition: incapable of being imitated or copied; surpassing imitation; matchless.
Definition: 1. To observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities 2. To make known publicly; proclaim:
Used in a sentence: He was treasured for his political savvy and inimitable spirit. Synonyms: Unparalleled, Consummate, Unmatched
Used in a sentence: The newspaper celebrated the end of the war in red headlines. Synonyms: Honour, Laud, Commend
29th March, 2014 ______________ Enigma – Noun.
Definition: A person, thing, or situation that is mysterious, puzzling,
Used in a sentence: Much research is still to be done to resolve the enigma of learning styles. Synonyms: Mystery, Problem, Puzzle
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
Birthdays and Anniversaries Let us extend our warm birthday and anniversary wishes to the following Toastmasters.‌ To all the celebrants, we say; May you celebrate many more birthdays and anniversaries and may each of them bring you more joy than the last.
March 3rd March; TM Claire Cosgrove
4th March; TMAmmar Madan
11th March; TM Prashant Gudibande 16th March; TM Nadia Khalfan
25th March; TM Azza Abdulla
The Summary Challenge Due to the pressures of our daily lives, sometimes members are not able to make it for our weekly meetings. However, we at Manama Toastmasters have found a way to keep the absent members informed through our meeting summaries. At the end of the term, the Toastmaster who writes the summary with the most likes on Facebook will go home with a grand prize. To volunteer to send in a summary, please contact our VPPR Hannah Karanja at karanja9@gmail.com . Get writing. You will not be disappointed!!
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
January – March Birthdays and Anniversaries honoured – 22nd March, 2014
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
Save the date! MTM Sunset Run Our MTM Sunset Runs will continue through out April as we strive to be the fittest leaders on the island!
DTAC; 15th – 17th May 2014.
The runs are held every Thursday at 6:30pm in Arad Park Muharraq. The runs comprise of a 3 or 6 km run or walk (or even crawl).
Registration is now open for DTAC 2014 which will be held in, “The city that kisses on the forehead of the modern world while holding its traditions close to heart” – Muscat Oman.
Area 3 Speech Contest Area 3 Speech Contest for the Table Topics, Evaluation, Humourous and International Speeches will be held on 5th April, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. PS: Breaking news – MTM will be able to send two participants for EACH contest. Now that is good news indeed!!
Register now on
www.dtac2014 .org.
See you there!!
Division C Speech Contest Division C Speech Contest shall be held on 2nd May, 2014 at Elite Resort and Spa.
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
A Bird’s Eye View – March 2014
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
How well do you know our members? members?
Take the challenge and WIN!! WIN !!
2 Fellow Toastmasters, In our last issue, we asked you to identify the Toastmasters shown in the pictures. Unfortunately, no one got ALL the three answers correct so we have decided to make it a little more challenging by adding a fourth member…If you can guess who these toastmasters are, send your answers to; mtmbahrain@gmail.com. Remember, a prize awaits the first person to come up the right answer.so start guessing!!
3
2
1
4
Good luck!! LEND US YOUR THOUGHTS! The PR team would like to hear from you; What would you like to see in our newsletter? What activities and events would you like us to host? What are we doing well and what do we need to improve on? Those types of things…. Our objective is to make this term MEMORABLE and we are relying on your feedback. We would love to hear from you so what are you waiting for? Remember, “it takes a village to raise a child”.
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
History of Toastmasters Toastmasters International Toastmasters International was started In the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana California by The founder Dr. Ralph C. Smeldley in 1924. Working as a director of education, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley began to notice that the young patrons needed training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings and hence a club was born. News of the club soon spread and other clubs were born in other countries. Today, Toastmasters Internaitional is found in 122 countries and it continues to strive in the 21st Century. Manama club.
Toastmasters
Manama Toastmasters club was established in 1964. It was one of the first club to be established in the
Middle East and is registered under the ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (reg. no. 74/c/c). Our mission is to provide a mutually supportive and positive environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills which, in turn, foster self-confidence and personal growth.
Dr. Ralph C. Smedley
Our meetings are held every Saturday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Kingdom of Bahrain. Guests are always welcome. Visit http://www.manamatoastmasters. org/ for more information or Like us on face book https://www.facebook.com/mana ma.toastmasters Contact VP-Membership TM Ammar Madan on +973 39153952 or VP-Public Relations TM Hannah Karanja on +973 39170832 Visit Toastmaster International on http://www.toastmasters.org/
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Manama Toastmasters
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Horizon – Manama Toastmasters Club
Our Executive Committee ; January – June 2014 SUB-COMMITTEES Education subcommittee:
President: TM Thuraya Juma
VP Education: TM May Abdulaziz
VP Membership: VP Public Relations: TM Ammar Madan Hannah Karanja
•TM Abdulrahman Al Awadhi • DTM Khalid Al Qoud • TM Somaya Al Jowder • TM Tanaji
Membership subcommittee: •TM Maisa Al Sheikh •TM Prashant Gudibande
Sergeant-at-Arms: TM Amina Al Hajeeri
Secretary: Treasurer: TM Monther Noaman. TM Laxman Singh
Librarian: TM Claire Cosgrove
Do you have a story that you are just itching to share with us? Would you like to write a summary of any of our weekly meetings? If so, please send your contribution(s) to the PR team through VPPR TM Hannah Karanja at karanja9@gmail.com. We welcome original articles but “clone” articles are always welcome as long as they give credit to the original writer. Thank you so much for your support and for making this issue of Horizon possible.
PR sub-committee: •TM Rashid Maymoon •TM Khalid Amin •TM Khalid Al Quod •TM Guraz Wankadia •TM Claire Cosgrove •TM Chris Noronha
Secretary subcommittee: •TM Khalid Amin
Sergeant at Arms sub-committee: • TM Tanaji Omar.
Treasurer subcommittee: • TM Chris Noronha
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