The Newsletter of Manama Toastmasters Club The Newsletter of Manama Toastmasters Club
Feb 2018 Jan 2018
Let’s Speak More Where leaders are made
Executive Committee—Jan to June 2018
From the Presidents’ Desk - It’s Time for TIME Management TIME
Kishan Kumar President
No one has enough of it. It is a limited resource. We can’t stop using it and we can’t find more of it. Whether you are uber rich or poor to the rags, this is one asset everyone owns in equal quanti-
ty, just 86,400 seconds a day. Within these 86,400 seconds we need it to do absolutely everything. Complete family chores, fulfil work requirements, prepare for our future and on top of this - for us MTMs, fulfil Bilquis’ s demands to take up roles and Prashanth’s demands to submit articles. We manage time poorly and everything gets managed poorly. And there are so many things compelling us to manage our time poorly – procrastination, distractions (social media is a big culprit here), tasks and projects that take more time than they should and there are tons of different things that waste our time every day. Wasted time means rushed deadlines, a work-life imbalance, and more stress and anxiety. As the Time Management ambassadors demonstrate it, we don’t need more time, we just need to use the time that we have more effectively. Thankfully, opportunities to manage our time better are everywhere. I would like share with you three simple steps which can make a huge difference to our schedules: 1.
Switch of pop-up notifications on your computers
Unless you are in a Service Desk or Call Centre type of role, where you are required to respond immediately, switch of pop-up notifications on your computers. Whether they are from your e-mail applications or WhatsApp or any other applications. The pop-up notifications are an immense distraction. They disrupt our concentration, increase our anxiety and decrease the efficiency of the task at hand. Instead, let us check our messages between tasks if we must, or even far better schedule a time to check and respond to our messages.
From the Presidents’ Desk - cont’d Here I would like to define two terms – ‘Synchronous Communication’ and ‘Asynchronous Communication’. •
Synchronous communication is real- time communication between two people, a term that designates communications between two or more individuals that takes place simultaneously,
for example - face to face, phone calls, Skype, WhatsApp Calls etc. •
The term Asynchronous Communication gets a little technical – it is the exchange of messages, such as among the devices on a network, by reading and responding to requests, as schedules permit rather than according to some clock that is synchronized for both the sender and receiver or in real time. The communication is intermittent rather than in a steady stream. Examples from the past – letters and faxes, and from the current day e-mails, WhatsApp text and SMS messages and voice messages.
It is rather unfair to turn Asynchronous Communication to be Synchronous, expecting and in some cases demanding, instant response to e-mails and WhatsApp communication. If we dislodge ourselves into such demands, we will never be able to manage our time effectively. Switch off those pop-up notifications and let Asynchronous Communication stay true to its definition. If anyone demands otherwise, refer them to the scientist who defined Asynchronous Communication. 2.
Use time management apps
We are living in times where there are extreme demands on our productivity. Whether in professional lives or personal lives, we are expected to do more within the 24 hours. Handling tens of e -mail messages, hundreds of instant messages, completing large number of tasks has all become a norm and no more a sign of being super-human. With Artificial Intelligence at our door steps it is only going to get further demanding.
From the Presidents’ Desk - cont’d Thankfully, the same technology that is compelling us to be super-performers, has given us the apps to manage our time efficiently. These apps automate some our mundane tasks saving time for us to concentrate on tasks that require our real attention. There are straight off - time and task management apps such as Clear, Wunderlist and Trello which help manage our schedules, to-do lists and collaborate with teams. And there are apps for automation such as Workflow, IFTTT (If This Then That). These apps helps you automate tasks such as – every morning at 7:30 display the best route to take to my office, scan my favourite news sites and display the top 10 news items of my favourite subjects. Imagine the amount of time you can save by automating such tasks. These are not built for Geeks – they are for everyone. I strongly suggest to try them out. 3.
Reflect on your day’s work
This is the simplest of the three steps. At the end of the day, before going to bed, take few moments and reflect on your day. Have we achieved what we wanted to achieve today. Have we done all the important and urgent tasks. How much time did we spend on the not important and not urgent tasks? This step will help us with our continuous improvement, to do better the next day. Let us try these three simple steps - Switch of pop-up notifications, Use time management apps, Reflect on your day’s work to help free up our schedule, find enough time for our personal and professional goals and finally keep our VP Ed happy. Kishan Kumar P S President—Jan to June 2018 Manama Toastmasters Club
From the Editor’s Desk Prashanth Gudibande P VP Public Relations Prashanth Gudibande P
Yes, I do’ ‘I am’ is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language, Could it be that ‘I do’ is the longest sentence? – George Carlin One of the famous quotes which I came across while reading was the above phrase by George Carlin. What a meaningful quote which makes a lot of sense in our daily lives! I wonder if everybody acknowledges and agrees that the phrase ‘I do’ could be made a “shortest phrase sentence” just like ‘I am’ by owning the responsibilities which they have to shoulder and do justice to in day to day affairs. Yes, I am interpreting the phrase ‘I do’ as a responsibility to fulfil and bring about the necessary logical conclusion in whatever one does. Most of the time, people complain about subjects that are not necessarily the stumbling blocks in their path to achieve or do justice to in their work, and obviously, they fail to achieve. On the other hand, when analyzed what successful people do, they convert even the most stumbling of blocks which they encounter that would make them fail, as their stepping stone to success. Successful people in their respective job, in their role as a family member, in business or whatever they do to earn their bread and butter, would find that ‘I do’ as short as ‘I am’. It is not necessary for a person has to starve to become successful, but those successful in shouldering their responsibilities have to encounter failures, work hard and they hardly complain about these factors which are not under their control. They believe that ‘There is no gain without pain’.
From the Editor’s Desk— Cont’d The ‘I do’ people work hard, don’t blame others /factors for their failures, do not pass on the responsibility, know their own strengths and weaknesses, stretch themselves to minimize the limitations, and do not waste their time in non-productive work. There is a phrase which says – “empty pockets and hungry stomach teaches thousands of les-
sons”. And if those people whose behavior which shows ‘I do’ as a long sentence could possibly learn once they find themselves in a situation of ‘empty pocket and or hungry stomach’. Those who could possibly spend their time in understanding ‘I do’ as the longest sentence switch their jobs very often, pass on the responsibility and blame others, talk negatively all the time, or many of them are not necessarily dependent on earning to make their ends meet. Everybody in this world has the potential and can avoid the situation of ‘empty pocket and hungry stomach’. ‘I do’ could possibly be a short sentence in English just like ‘I am’. It is the priority
which the person shows towards life in which he is involved in doing. The attitude and the behavior in setting the idea that priority matters the most. Every human being on this planet has a purpose and responsibility. A short sentence ‘I do’ means a lot to all of humanity. ‘I am’ and ‘I do’ both have 3 letters and how wonderful it would be if both of these were the shortest sentences in this beautiful language!
Prashanth Gudibande VP-Public Relations-Jan to June 2018 Manama Toastmasters Club
The Art of Story Telling, again and again - DTM Claire Cosgrove DTM Claire Cosgrove
From the beginning of time, people have told stories, and people have listened to stories. Story telling is intended for a variety of purposes: entertainment, education, historical account of event, genealogy and so on. The subject matter was a reflection and an account of life as it was, as it is and as it might be in the future. There are no age ratings or restrictions. Some stories may have been mere prattle, neighborhood gossip all the way up to the legendary epics of long and arduous journeys and battles. The intent was multifold: to inform, to teach, to record and to entertain, even to escape the realities that surround us and bury us. Just as it is today, stories have the power to transcend all imagination, knowledge and understanding depending on the teller, and on the receptiveness of the listener. But story telling has an innate ability to connect people. We tell our story, we hear their story, we laugh, we cry, we empathize, we sympathize, we understand, we question, we doubt, we scorn, all in response to a story. We might persuade or convict, we may cause remorse or levity. All the while, we build relationships both with the listener and with the characters in the story. And there lies the secret power of the story, the irresistible power and universal attraction of a well-crafted story. The strongest, most powerful stories are those from our past. This could be from our childhood, or from our parents or grandparents, or more distant kinsmen. It is these stories that survive by being passed down generation after generation. People want to connect with their own past, but also with members of the family from earlier generations. This is clinging to, even clutching to ancestral relationships. And this is as vital as our genes, our DNA being passed down biologically, but also our spiritual genes, our spiritual DNA is transmitted across generational spans, as this is who we are.
The Art of Story Telling, again and again — Cont’d
We can translocate, emigrate, migrate, refugrate (that’s my new word of the day – so don’t go looking it up in the dictionary), but we are who we are because of our ancestral heritage and home. That is why we each have a story to tell, in fact many generations of stories. And the more stories we tell, the more we will begin to understand who we are as a person. So let us embrace our heritage, both past and present, and incorporate our stories in our speeches. These stories with provide the key element of being a powerful speaker: the personal, emotional element that transcends all other speech components, binds the opening, body and conclusion, gives clarity and power to your message. Because it is a real happening, here and now, story telling has energy, interaction, spontaneity and the lure of intrigue. Ultimately, it will touch not just the ears and heart of our listener but reach in and grab their inner soul. This is the key to unite the storyteller and the listener as one entity. The combined strength of the storyteller and the listener, will propel your message beyond the walls of the auditorium. Your message will be able to circumnavigate the globe if you so desire. And it all begins with ‘Once upon a time . . .’ or ‘When I was . . .’ DTM Claire Cosgrove Manama Toastmasters Club
Meeting 2647
Ice Breakers Night — 3rd Feb 2018 Theme — TIME
Word of the day— “REPLINISH” The Master of Ceremonies TM Raja Chandra took the floor and was assisted by: TM Cini Joseph as Grammarian
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TM Rashid Maymoon as Ah Counter
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TM Athavan Palaniyandi as Timer
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TM Tanaji Omer as Table Topics Master
• • •
TM Shruti Premanand as Fun Master
DTM Guraz Wankadia as General Evaluator
Presidential Address
TMOD
TM Kishan Kumar
TM Raja Chandra
Meeting 2647
Ice Breakers Night — 3rd Feb 2018 Theme — TIME
Icebreaker Speech
Evaluator
Timer
TM Mansoor Khulaifi
TM Khalid Ameen
TM Athavan
Awardees of the evening
Best Speaker
Best
Best
Best
Evaluator
Table Topic
Role Player
First Timer
Commentator TM Yasir Iqbal
TM Usha Nenwani
Guest Dominic Carroll
TM Shruthi Premanand
TM Mansoor Khulaifi
Short notes by Toastmasters on the Theme — TIME
Meeting No. 2647 What is TIME? - TM Raja Chandra We know that “Time is a rare Luxury which we have and we don’t realize its significance until lost and it can never be purchased or replenished at any cost”. Time seems slow when you wait! Time seems fast when you’re late! Time seems short when you are happy! Time seems endless when you are in pain! Time seems long when you feel bored! Every instance, Time is determined by both your thoughts and your perceptions and not by clocks, because Time goes at its own pace and pauses for none. Life is short, Time is Fast, No Rewind, No Replay. So enjoy every moment of it as it comes. Be inspired & motivated because the Gift of Time is TIME itself. Live thoroughly every day and enjoy each second of it –because it is just the right TIME My Thoughts on TIME – DTM Ratindernath My mother used to say “Everything will happen at the time it is supposed to happen”. I used to keep asking my mother why my birthday doesn’t come sooner, for my birthday gifts? I used to ask mummy when will I start earning, again the same answer from mum. In later life I wished time would go faster so that my dreams could be realized faster. Then I remembered my mum’s words and waited patiently for my dreams to fructify. Now I state what my mum used to tell us to my children and grandchildren. My Thoughts on TIME – TM Prashanth Gudibande Time is ‘Precious’ only when it is used worth doing a thing which is beneficial to self. We can’t buy time, but we can make Time for ourselves. There are times when one should spend only by resting/meditating and without any physical activity. It is worth spending a little amount of time in that since the body and the mind requires some rest. No one need for retirement age to do meditation. During active working years, one need to Meditate. They need to preserve the energy to be active in old age. Spend your TIME wisely by meditating, do not harp always on being doing something or the other thinking TIME is precious. Yes, TIME is precious when it is used worth doing a thing which is beneficial.
Meeting 2648
International Speech Contest— 10th Feb 2018 Manama Toastmasters conducted their International Speech Contest on 10th Feb 2018 for the year 2018. The even was held at ‘Hall B’ of Bahrain Conference Center, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Diplomatic Area. 27 members and 11 guests made their presence to this event with 7 contestants competing in the International Speech Contest with Contest Chair as TM Biljana Davceva. TM Madhavi Tiwari was the Chief Judge The President, TM Kishan Kumar addressed the meeting with his speech on World Championship of Public Speaking while sharing inspirational success stories of a few World Champions. Manama Toastmasters also inducted a new member—TM Dominic Carroll to the club.
Sergeant at Arms TM Yasir Iqbal
Certificate of Participation DTM Claire Cosgrove
TM Kishan Kumar Presidential address
Contest Chair Biljana Davceva
Certificate of Participation TM Peer Mohamed Saleem
Meeting 2648
International Speech Contest— 10th Feb 2018
Certificate of Participation TM Rizwan Farooq
Certificate of Participation TM Tosin Arwojolu
Certificate of Participation TM Shubhashree Srinivasan
President TM Kishan Kumar Handing over the Toastmaster Pin to the new member — TM Dominic Carroll
Meeting 2648
International Speech Contest— 10th Feb 2018
Certificate for Contest Chair TM Biljana Davceva
Certificate for the supporting staff Standing from Left to Right — TM Biljana Davceva, TM Prashanth Gudibande, TM Mansoor Khulaifi, TM Kishan Kumar, DTM Ratindernath, TM Raja Chandra & TM Yasir Iqbal Certificate for Chief Judge TM Madhavi Tiwari
Contest Winners 1st Place - TM Khalid Amin 2nd Place - TM Guraz Wankadia 3rd Place - TM Tosin Arwojolu
Meeting 2649
17th Feb 2018
Master Of Ceremonies TM Laxman Singh Rathore
Grammarian TM Athavan Palaniyandi
Word of the day— “Charming” The Master of Ceremonies TM Laxman Singh Rathore took the floor and was assisted by: •
TM Claire Cosgrove as Ah Counter
• • •
TM Athavan P as Grammarian TM Rashid Maymoon as Timer
TM Mansour Al Khulaifi as Table Topics Master • •
DTM Guraz Wankadia as Fun Master TM Amina Al Hajeri as General Evaluator
Presidential Address by TM Kishan Kumar P S
Meeting 2649
17th Feb 2018
TM Prashanth Gudibande Speech Title “Just Clean it — It’s Easy”
Evaluation Report by TM Ratindernath
Table Topics Master TM Mansoor Al Khulaifi
TM Rizwan Farooq Speech Title “Health and Nutrition tips”
TM Prashant Renghe Speech Title “Fear and Faith”
Evaluation Report by TM Abdul Rahman
Not many Ah’s & Um’s Ah Counter report by DTM Claire Cosgrove
Can you identify your fellow members with their Voice? A unique challenge by DTM Guraz Wankadia during Fun Session
Evaluation Report by TM Biljana Davceva
General Evaluator TM Ameena Al Hajiri
Meeting 2649
17th Feb 2018 Awardees of the evening
Best Speaker
Best Evaluator
Best Table Topic Commentator
Best Role Player
Prashant Renghe
Biljana Davceva
Roshan Vaghjee
Mansour Al Khulaifi
A snap of all the attendees during the last meeting of TM Roshan Vaghjee who resigned from the club as he is leaving Bahrain.
Meeting 2650
Presentation on Pathways— 24th Feb 2018
Manama Toastmasters organized the presentation on Toastmasters Pathways on 24th Feb 2018 as meeting 2650. The event was held at Board Room 2 - Bahrain Conference Center, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Diplomatic Area, Bahrain. The event was attended by 17 members and 4 guests with Pathways Ambassador TM Thuraya Juma Abdulla taking the members on the new personal and professional development educational program— Pathways, Toastmasters’ new education program! The President delivered an address on the necessity of continually adapting to technological changes and acquiring skills necessary to meet new challenges.
Presidential Address
Master of Ceremonies
TM Kishan Kumar
TM Usha Nenwani
Meeting 2650
Presentation on Pathways— 24th Feb 2018
Pathways Ambassador TM Thuraya Juma during her presentation
Handing over the Pathways Kit by Ambassador to Club president
Pathways Ambassador TM Thuraya Juma Abdulla presented the Pathways Presentation through an interactive session of 45 minutes. •
The aim of Pathways is to revitalize the Toastmasters learning experience through 5 major core competencies.
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The program offers 10 Paths, each aimed at developing a different combination of the core competencies. Each path consists of 14 projects divided into 5 levels.
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The requirement for achieving DTM is the completion of two paths.
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There is a 2-year transition period before Pathways becomes enforced on all members. However new members who join from March 2018 onwards will be automatically signed up for the Pathways program.
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The new Toastmasters Pathway Kit was presented to the club president by the Ambassador
Meeting 2650
Presentation on Pathways— 24th Feb 2018
Identify please? An innovative way of testing your memory skills asking to identify the members through their Email Id’s A joyous fun session by TM Sheela Pai
Manama Toastmasters also inducted a new member during meeting New member TM Tarannum Abdul Majid Shaikh (center) TM Mohamed Saleem (Left) TM Kishan Kumar (Right)
Group photo of attendees of the evening
About Us Manama Toastmasters Club was founded in the year 1964 & prides itself as the ‘mother’ of all Toastmaster clubs in Bahrain & the Middle East region. We have a vast & diverse membership of over 57 members representing more than 13 different countries making it a truly multinational, multiracial & multicultural club of men & women of all age groups, with eclectic interests & backgrounds. Executive Committee: Jan – June 2018
From Left to Right Sergeant at Arms Yasir Iqbal Secretary Zeinab Khalil, VP Education Bilquis Khan, President Kishan Kumar VP Membership Mohamed Saleem VP Public Relations Prashanth Gudibande Treasurer Khalid Ameen
We meet every Saturday at 7:00 p.m. for 2 hours, at the Crowne Plaza, Bahrain Conference Center. Guests are welcome to attend & discover for themselves the benefits of being a Toastmaster. Please visit our website www.manamatoastmasters.org or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/manama.toastmasters/ to keep updated about our club & its activities.