SMEDLEY VOICE NEWSLETTER OF SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB | OCTOBER 2015 | VOL 2 ISSUE 1
Be a Leader Like ...
Dr. Ralph C Smedley (1878-1965) Founder-Toastmasters International
Club No. 2046498, Area 43, Division E, District 20
Table Of Contents
Oct 2015 Volume 2, Issue 1
Inside This Issue
Smedley
From Division E Director …………..…........ 02
Smedley Toastmasters Club
From the Editor’s Desk …….……….………. 03
in Doha, Qatar.
Cover Story: Be A Leader Like ……….……... 04
This
President’s Distinguished Club Award ..……. 08
published for internal circula-
is
a
newsletter published by the
Smedley Leadership Changes Hands ...……. 09 The MLM Toastmaster …………….....……. 10 Meet Our Leaders
Voice
...…….…………….…… 12
newsletter
is
tion among the members of the
Smedley
Toastmasters
Club and to promote the ideas
and
goals
of
ACG Award for TM Jose ...…………….…… 15
Toastmasters International.
ACB Award for TM Bijith ….…………….… 15
The Publisher and Editor
New Members …………...…………………. 16
does not take responsibility
Smedley Speechcraft …...…………………... 17
for the authenticity / opinion
Language Usage: Oxymorons ...……………. 17
of the articles and/or authors,
CC Project 1: Icebreaker Tips
….…….……. 18
CC Project 2: How to Organize Tips ……….. 20 Express Journey for TM Rimzan ……….…. 22
published in this newsletter. Toastmasters
International
and its logos are trademarks
Health Tips for Chest Pain ….……….…….. 23
registered in the USA, Cana-
Live Life, Pass It On ………………….……. 24
da and many other countries.
Captivating Cancun
.………………….……. 25
For comments or sugges-
Meeting Photos ………………….……….… 27
tions regarding the news-
Tickling Toastmasters ………..….………….. 32
letter, please contact Le-
Smedley Club Meeting ………..….………….. 33
siley Mathew at 66053485 or
Special points of interest
send
an
to
tm.lesmathew@gmail.com
How to write an Icebreaker and Sample P1 speech Tips to organize your speech and Sample P2 speech
2
From Division E Director Fellow leaders, An idea is nothing without the presentation of the idea. That’s why you will see that not all scholars and intelligent people are able to fully communicate the ideas that they possess. In toastmasters, one of the ways that you can put forth the ideas and the strengths of your club is via the newsletter. What is more authentic than a news letter to know about a club and the club activities?
Division E Director TM Ravi Kumar TM Ravi Kumar is the Division
Director
for
Division E during the year
2015-2016. TM Ravi has been in toastmasters for the last six years. In the past, he has served as a president and Area Governor. He is also the immediate past Assistant Division Governor for Division E last year. TM Ravi is a dedicated and
dependable
leader
who is well on his way to achieving the President’s Distinguished
Division
Award for Division E this year!
On behalf of Division E , let me congratulate the SMEDLEY Toastmasters club for releasing the very first newsletter of Division E for the current year 2015-16. I would like to specially thank the Smedley C lub V P Membership and Editor of this newsletter, TM Lesiley Mathew, and her team for bringing out this wonderful product. We also appreciate the many hours of hard work , compiling, assimilating and setting up the thoughts and ideas that has shaped up this newsletter. The Smedley Toastmasters Club has been in the forefront during the immediate past year by attaining the President’s Distinguished Club Status under the able guidance of TM Jothinathan and TM Jose. Keeping up with the tradition of last year, Smedley TM Club has also come up this year with the very first newsletter in Division E that shows right from the getgo that the new Executive Committee (Excom) are at work. A brand new venue at the Sharq Capital on C-Ring Road also provides new impetus to the already quality meetings of the Club. I applaud the commendable efforts of the new Excom !! This is keeping up with the Toastmasters promise to help the Club maintain a positive and friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow.
I extend my sincere wishes for a wonderful year to Smedley Toastmasters club! May you achieve more accolades in the time to come! TM Ravi Kumar, Division E Director, Division E – District 20, Toastmasters International 3
From the Editor’s Desk Dear Toastmaster,
I am excited, energized and elated to release the first edition of our dear newsletter “Smedley Voice” for the year 2015-2016. Through this media, I hope to give you the latest and greatest about our growing club, Smedley Toastmasters. I would like to take this moment to thank the secret silent skilled members who helped to craft this newsletter. That would be none other than the mastermind DTM Raghavan, who suggested the cover story as well as varied content for the newsletter. I would also like to thank all my proof-readers, mainly the Excom, DTM Raghavan, TM Rimzan and TM Maimoona for reviewing this newsletter. This newsletter was released to show the world what a creative and positive niche Smedley Toastmasters club members have created for themselves through the years! What I like about Smedley Toastmasters club is that we create a positive fun loving environment for our members. We motivate our members to work hard, and help them grow, and we try to do that in a relaxed setting where everyone is encouraged to learn, laugh and lead.
EXCOM 2015-2016 CLUB PRESIDENT
TM Vimal Raj VP EDUCATION TM Benov Jacob VP MEMBERSHIP
Our club members want to be leaders like Dr. Ralph Smedley. Our cover story is about our dear founder and leader, Dr. Ralph Smedley and his unique leadership style that made Toastmasters so popular. And that’s why this edition is released in October 2015, the month that Toastmasters came into existence through Dr. Ralph Smedley.
TM Lesiley Mathew
I hope you enjoy reading our first edition for the year 20152016!
TREASURER
Regards, Lesiley Mathew, Editor & VP Membership, Smedley Toastmasters
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
VP PUBLIC RELATIONS TM Shibu K Reghunath SECRETARY TM Vijesh
TM Ammad Kanghat
TM Musthafa A
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COVER STORY
Be a Leader like …. Dr. Ralph C Smedley is the founder and first leader of Toastmasters International. Dr. Smedley was born in Waverly, Illinois, a city twenty miles southwest of Springfield. He remained in Illinois most of his youth. After high school, he taught schools in the countryside before enrolling at Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington, Illinois. After his graduation in 1903, he started working at the local YMCA. As Educational Director of the "Y" he discovered there was a need for training in speech. He began to design a club and struggled for a name. The General Secretary of the "Y", George Sutton, suggested calling it a Toastmasters club. The boys liked the name and the club was a success. At each club meeting, there was a rotation of duties with members taking turns at presiding and speaking. Short speeches were evaluated by Ralph and the other older men, and the boys were invited to join in the evaluation to learn more. The club performed its intended purpose as leadership and speech improved in the other educational groups with which these young men were associated. The club only lasted a year after Ralph Smedley moved to the YMCA at Rock Island, Illinois as General Secretary in 1910. He organized a Toastmasters Club at the Rock Island "Y" which soon reached a membership of 75. When Ralph Smedley left the Rock Island "Y", the Toastmasters Club there also soon perished. When he became a Secretary at a San Jose YMCA, he started another club. But that club also stopped meeting when he moved to San Anta, California. But that didn’t dissuade Dr. Ralph Smedley, the ever-persistent leader who believed passionately about his idea of public speaking! He knew that some people at the “Y” thought that he was peculiar and his “toastmaster” idea was considered as one of his “idiosyncrasies”!
5
In Santa Ana, California in 1922, another club was immediately organized and still exists as Club No. 1 of Toastmasters International. He introduced the Toastmasters Club idea. The first meeting was held at the YMCA Building on October 22, 1924. Until then, the Toastmasters Club was an educational arm of the YMCA. The Toastmasters Club idea spread to Los Angeles, Long Beach, and other southern California cities. Representatives of these clubs met and organized an association. In order to save the time consumed in replying to many letters and inquiries, Ralph prepared a "Manual of Instructions" and "Ten Lessons In Public Speaking" which he mimeographed and bound in paper covers. On October 25, 1928, Ralph obtained copyrights on his publications and copyrighted the name Toastmasters Club all of which he later assigned to Toastmasters International. He resigned as YMCA Secretary in 1941 to devote more time to Toastmasters International. Through the war years he operated the organization out of a small office. In 1950, Smedley wrote Beyond Basic Training. In 1956, Toastmasters itself gave Smedley the title of honorary president and lifetime board member. In 1950, Illinois Wesleyan University recognized Smedley's service to mankind by conferring the honorary degree of L.H.D. -- Litter arum Humaniorum or Doctor of Humane Letters. Santa Ana named a junior high school after him in 1955. The Santa Ana Toastmasters Club renamed itself the Smedley Number One Club in honor of its founder. A photograph of Ralph Smedley and the original club charter are placed in an empty chair near the lectern to represent his continuing inspiration. This started at Club Number One and several other clubs around the world also chose to honor Ralph Smedley in this way. Dr. Smedley teaches us to “learn” through “enjoyment”, and that’s exactly what Smedley Toastmasters club is all about—learning through enjoyable moments.
Dr. Smedley’s famous quote aptly describes Smedley Toastmasters
"We learn best in moments of enjoyment" Source: Wikipedia, Toastmasters International and NewsInvestors.com 6
Smedley Toastmasters Club in Qatar was founded by DTM Shubha Anupindi to honor Dr. Ralph Smedley and we conduct our meetings with a photograph of Dr. Ralph Smedley placed in the meeting room. The photograph reminds us that he is still with us today in spirit, and inspires us to be positive in everything that we say and do. Smedley Toastmasters club is the third club to be named after Dr. Smedley after Smedley Number One Club and Smedley Toastmasters club in SriLanka. The Smedley Toastmasters club members in Qatar strongly believe in following Dr. Smedley’s positivity in our club meetings. No one is reprimanded for mistakes and we work together and run meetings with lots of smiles and laughs to motivate everyone who comes to our club. Dr. Smedley’s biography also teaches us great lessons on leadership and shows us how to be a true leader like him. The first lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley’s life is his positive and supportive nature. He stressed on two ideas—that the meetings should be positive and supportive to all members and that people should understand the reason behind the rules and protocols rather than give importance to the rules itself. A true leader always knows how to be positive and bring out the best in others. The second lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley is his persistence to continue with the idea of Toastmasters. He opened club after club in different locations, and he never gave up on his idea even though many clubs closed down and some people ridiculed him for his idea. A true leader always believes in his idea and is persistent in his efforts to see his idea come to fruition.
The third lesson that we learn from Dr. Smedley is his great passion for toastmasters. He was dedicated and committed to serving the community by improving their communication skills through the idea of Toastmasters. He could have charged a crazy fee for his patented idea, but instead he chose to share it with all the people and only included a small nominal membership fee to help sustain operating expenses. He was so passionate about his idea that he retired from his career to devote full time to his passion. He wrote manual after manual to help people. It is not a surprise that in 2015, Toastmasters International has 332,000 registered members. If you’re passionate, positive and persistent like Dr. Smedley, you too can achieve any goal that you set in life. Thank you, Dr. Smedley, for teaching us to be a leader like you! By TM Lesiley Mathew
TM Lesiley is the VP Membership for Smedley Toastmasters and can be contacted for comments at tm.lesmathew@gmail.com 7
CLUB AWARDS
President’s Distinguished Club
Hooray!!! 10 out of 10 Distinguished Club Points for Smedley in 2015! Smedley Toastmasters Club has achieved the President’s Distinguished Club Award (10 Distinguished Club Points) for the term 2014– 2015 due to the sheer dedication of the Executive Committee for 2014-2015. TM Jose, the Club President last year, ran the meetings like a true leader, and mentored numerous members. TM Jothinathan, the VP Education worked day and night to get new members, motivated everyone to take on roles, and ran the club meetings with great vigor and enthusiasm. He was the Knight in Shining Armor for Smedley Toastmasters club and is the real mastermind behind the whooping 10 out of 10 DCP points for the Smedley club in 2014– 2015 tenure. TM Mohammad Ali as VP Membership helped to add many new members. TM Benov as VP Public Relations last term brought out the first ever club newsletter for Smedley Toastmasters called the “Smedley Voice”. TM Vimal Raj as Secretary completed all the administration work on time. TM Midhun as Treasurer, provided accurate records of club finances. TM Rimzan was a sergeant at arms plus official photographer, and even provided 3 club points out of 10 towards the Distinguished Club Points. 8
CLUB NEWS
Smedley Leadership Changes Hands
All good things must come to an end and that’s what happened when the Smedley Executive Committee (Excom) for 2014-2015 stepped down on June 30th after accomplishing a whooping 10 out of 10 Distinguished club points last year and earning the President’s Distinguished Club Award for the term 2014—2015. On June 16th, 2015 a new set of vibrant toastmasters were sworn in as leaders. These new leaders want to run creative meetings where all of us can learn and laugh together! The Excom for 2015-2016 begins with Area Director Abhijit Kuwalekar from Area 43 to which our club belongs.
Area Governor for 2014 - 2015, TM Muneer Sheikh conducted the installation ceremony with incredible efficiency. It began with the discharge of current Excom followed by the installation of new Excom members — the sergeant-at-arms TM Musthafa, Treasurer TM Ammad, Secretary TM Vijesh, Vice President Public Relations TM Shibu, Vice President Membership TM Lesiley, Vice President Education TM Benov and the President TM Vimal. The Smedley Toastmasters Club is in good hands with the new leadership already taking bold initiatives to create a new agenda and move to an upscale location, Sharq Capital. Five new members were also added in September 2015. Let us work together to help the new leaders make Smedley a President’s Distinguished Club AGAIN this year!
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INSPIRATION
The MLM Toastmaster In 2012, Area 71 Governor TM Sathish visited the previous company that I worked for – McDermott in Chennai. AG Sathish conducted a demonstration meeting to showcase the benefits of Toastmasters for our management. The impressive speakers convinced the company leaders to start a corporate club. Due to my exuberant attitude and age, I was nominated as the Charter President. Then the task of finding twenty members fell to me, and I canvassed the idea to all my colleagues. With sheer dedication, I managed to find 20 members to start the Corporate Club called McDermott Toastmasters on January 11, 2013. After starting the club, I was entrusted with a bigger challenge. The management asked me to double the club strength. I grabbed every opportunity to talk about toastmasters and its huge benefits. Soon, I became a “dreaded” figure called the “MLM Toastmaster”. MLM means Multi-Level Marketing and is a concept where the salesman not only sells the product, but also recruits other people to become “sellers” for the product. As I talked to others, I realized that there were a lot of misconceptions about “Toastmasters”. One person asked me, “What kind of bread do you use for the toast?” and yet another asked interestedly, “Which wine do you use as toastmaster?” I decided to clear the misconceptions through a demo meeting. As I wrote invitations, I classified the people into three categories: First, the people who were not interested at all
TM Jothinathan, CC, CL TM Jothinathan is the backbone of the Smedley Toastmasters club and served the club as VP Education for the term 2014-2015.
He
motivated all the club members to complete their educational goals and
achieve
contributed
club to
the
points
that
President’s
Distinguished Status in 2014-2015. TM Jothinathan has completed his CC and CL manuals, and is working towards his ACB manual this year. He increased the club strength last year by over 10 members and still continues to bring at least one
Second, the people who showed interest, but were too busy
guest to every meeting. His efforts
Thirdly were the people who were extremely interested
every toastmaster who has ever
I abandoned the first category of people—people with no interest. And the third category of extremely interested people had already joined the club.
are applauded and commended by visited the Smedley Toastmasters Club.
I invited people from the second category to the demo meeting – people who showed interest, but were too busy. I hoped to persuade them to join Toastmasters too despite their busy schedule.
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The only way to persuade someone is by understanding what motivates that person. The primary motivation for all employees at a company is monetary benefits. I introduced the concept of Toastmasters and explained the benefits of being a good communicator in simple terms – Better “customer” interaction leads to better “sales”, which leads to “promotion” and “salary raises”. That sales pitch got their attention. Here’s my motivational speech after describing the benefits of Toastmasters: “All of you can get that promotion or salary raise, but to get it, you must act on your interest to improve yourself. My father once told me that there are two kinds of people in the world – people with an active personality and people with a passive personality. People with an active personality never feel satisfied with a single activity. They like to “act” in parallel – they may have a job, but they’re always trying to improve themselves through different techniques like studying further, starting businesses on the side or improving their social network. Active personalities never “stop” climbing up the corporate ladder. On the other hand, people with a passive personality are extremely satisfied with their current job. They have no interest in moving further up the chain, and they do just enough to sustain their position and income. Now which of those personalities do you have? Do you have an active or passive personality? I have an active personality, that’s why in addition to my job, I am pursuing higher education. I’m a partner in another business, and I’m the President of this corporate Toastmasters club. Let me leave you with the story that changed my personality to an active one:
Once a farmer found an abandoned eagle's nest and in it, was an egg still warm. He felt sorry for the egg and brought it back to his farm. He then laid the egg in the nest of one of his hens. The egg hatched and the baby eagle grew up along with the other chickens. It pecked about the farmyard, scrabbling for grain. It spent its life within the yard and rarely looked up. When it was very old, one day it lifted up its head and saw above it a wonderful sight an eagle soaring high above in the sky. Looking at it, the old creature sighed and said, "If only I'd been born an eagle". Dear friends, I realized that instead of being satisfied with my current job, I could also work on my skills and reach greater heights like the eagle. You are also born with a lot of potential. Do not live like a hen. All of you are really EAGLES. Recognize your potential and become the eagle that soars through the sky!” After that meeting, our club strength increased to 40 in a short span of three months. When I submitted my resignation letter to move to Qatar, my HR manager joked to my functional manager, “Please don’t accept Jothi’s resignation. He’s the best salesman in our company.” By TM Jothinathan TM JOTHINATHAN, CC, CL is the immediate past VP Education of Smedley Toastmasters Club and can be contacted for comments at jothi2000@yahoo.com
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MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016 Area Director for Area 43, TM Abhijit Kuwalekar Area Director, TM Abhijit hails from SantaCruz, in Mumbai, India. He has a civil engineering degree and 20 years of experience in project management. Currently, he works as a Civil Manager for Um Al Houl Power( Facility D) in Qatar. He lives in Qatar with his loving wife, Dhanasheela and their teenage son, Vedang.
TM Abhijit has been a toastmaster for nearly 4 years and he says that toastmasters has helped him improve his public speaking skills. TM Abhijit says that sincere efforts will help the Smedley club achieve targets both at an individual and club level.
TM Vimal Raj - Club President TM Vimal hails from the cultural capital of Kerala, a city called Trichur (nicknamed the Land of Elephants) within India. He is an MBA graduate with over 10 years of experience in finance and is currently the chief accountant for Teyseer Group. TM Vimal has been with Smedley Toastmasters for the last three years, and been in the Smedley Excom for three years consecutively now. His wife, TM Akshaya, is a member of the ICC Eves ladies toastmaster club, and they have one son. TM Vimal’s pastime is watching m otivatio nal speeche s to becom e an inspirational speaker!
TM Jose K - Immediate Past President TM Jose is an Indian who has settled in Bangalore for the last 24 years. He has an engineering degree from Kerala and a Masters in Software Systems from BITS Pilani. He lives in Doha with his wife, Evelyn and his son, Andrew. TM Jose is the Immediate Past President of our club and is a four time area humorous champion. His advice to toastmasters: 1) Always speak on a topic which you are passionate about, If you are not sincere about the topic/message you cannot move the audience however hard you try. 2) Follow the manual diligently. They are designed, with a lot of background research, to take you to the next level of expertise. 3) However senior you are, discuss your speech with your mentor.
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MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016 TM Benov Jacob - VP Education TM Benov is an IT graduate with an MBA degree. He works as Senior IT Client Support Manager with Al Futtaim Group. He lives in Doha with his wife Mincy and has two sons and a daughter. TM Benov has been with Smedley Excom for three years now. He says, “I was extremely shy and toastmasters helped me break out of my shell. It pushed me in a new, positive direction. As with anything, if you want results, you need to invest your time. Do not let fear stop you from attending meetings.” I believe that in addition to public speaking skills, Toastmasters has made a phenomenal positive impact on my life.
TM Lesiley Mathew - VP Membership TM Lesiley is an American citizen born to Indian parents in Qatar. She is a Lead Engineer at General Electric, and lives in Qatar with her husband, Cecil and their two daughters, Leah and Lisa. TM Lesiley joined toastmasters two years ago to conquer her fear of public speaking. Since then, she has won third prize at the humorous contest in the division, and is now part of the Club Excom and Division Excom. Her advice is, “The only way to conquer any fear is to face it again and again. You’ve to develop a thick skin and never give up despite the obstacles and failures that come your way.”
TM Shibu K Reghunath - VP Public Relations TM Shibu is an MBA graduate. He is currently in-charge of heavy equipment sales at Abdulla Abdulghani & Bros. TM Shibu lives in Qatar with his wife, Sindhu and their two sons, Amit and Amal. His hobby is to watch cricket. TM Shibu has been with the Smedley Excom for the last three years and has won first prize at the club evaluation contest in 2015. He says that toastmasters has helped him build confidence tremendously to speak in front of audiences and give presentations at work.
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MEET OUR LEADERS FOR 2015-2016 TM Vijesh - Secretary TM Vijesh is a seasoned toastmaster who is new to Qatar. He works at ADP in Qatar, and has married recently. His wife joined him in Qatar about two months ago. TM Vijesh has been with Smedley Toastmasters for eight months and won third prize at the Area 43 contest for International speeches in March 2015. He has held several roles in Excom before arriving in Qatar and has completed his competent communicator manual.
TM Ammad - Treasurer TM Ammad has a double bachelors degree in Education and Business Administration and works as a Stock Controller with Jaidah Motors. He has 3 children—2 boys and a girl. TM Ammad has been with Smedley Toastmasters for the last 4 years, and he says that toastmasters has given him the confidence to communicate within the organization as well as with external clients. His advice: Attend meetings regularly with good sportsmanship spirit and be ready to take on any roles with the support of your mentors.
TM Musthafa A - Sergeant-At-Arms TM Musthafa works as a Parts Technical Supervisor at Jaidah Motors. Previously, he worked for 14 years as Senior Customer Support Executive in Galadari Trucks in Dubai. His family consists of his wife and three children. TM Musthafa has returned to Toastmasters after a long break and is currently the most dedicated member of our club. As a sergeant at arms, he works hard to fulfill his responsibilities and excels at his role in introducing the President uniquely at each meeting. He expects to become a good communicator and leader through his continuous efforts in Toastmasters.
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Club Member Achievements Advanced Communicator Gold for TM Jose TM Jose has completed his Advanced Communicator Gold award , marking the end of his communication track for the path to Distinguished Toastmaster status. His last speech for the ACG title was conducted on June 16, 2015. The speech was from an advanced manual on speaking about his accomplishments after receiving an award. TM Muneer Sheikh gave TM Jose a cheque for Rs. 100,000 for bringing electricity to villages in Karnataka, and TM Jose then gave his 5 minute speech about how he achieved the goal of bringing electricity. TM Jose’s last speech for ACG was beautiful and inspires all of us to work diligently towards our goals.
“Don’t wait to be proud until you reach your goal. Be proud of each step you take to achieve your goal.” Advanced Communicator Bronze for TM Bijith TM Bijith is a past President of the Smedley Toastmasters Club and completed his Advanced Communicator Bronze Award in September 2015, achieving our first educational point for the club this year!
Despite his busy schedule at Wacker Neusen and continuous travel to UAE as part of his job, TM Bijith found the time to come in and complete ten speeches from two of the advanced manuals, thus completing his ACB award. TM Bijith completed five speeches from the Advanced Module “Entertaining Speaker” since he is a speaker with a notable interest in the use of
humor to make speeches lively. Also, he chose to complete five speeches from the Advanced Manual for “Facilitating Discussions” as he felt that this is a required talent for every person working in a customer facing environment. His speeches for the “Facilitating Discussion” manual were ten to fifteen minutes long, but everyone enjoyed his humorous speeches and participated well in each of the speeches where he facilitated discussions on a particular issue. I wish that I could be as dedicated as TM Bijith was, in his determination to reach the next level of communication!
15
MEET OUR NEW MEMBERS TM Shylesh TM Shylesh K joined our club in June 2015. He works as a Cardiothoracic surgeon at Al—Ahli Hospital. He lives in Qatar with his beautiful wife, Anne and five year old daughter. He has completed two projects so far from the CC manual and has already completed over 4 roles from the CL manual.
TM Maimoona TM Maimoona is a dual toastmaster and works at Maersk Oil Qatar. She lives in Qatar with her husband and four children. TM Maimoona is a vibrant toastmaster with a true passion to learn and excel at public speaking! She is on a fast track to complete her CC manual before the end of the year!
TM Navaz Dhahasar Navaz is a new toastmaster who joined our club along with his wife, TM Akhila, in August 2015. He started his sales career in Qatar with Data Capture Systems in Wireless & Networking division. TM Navaz has completed his icebreaker speech in October, and has already taken a couple of roles at the club.
TM Akhila Navaz TM Akhila is married to TM Navaz, and is also a new toastmaster with our club. She works for Middle East Business Development Company as a sales coordinator. She and TM Navaz have been married for 16 years, and is living in Qatar with their two children. TM Akhila and TM Navaz are motivated to improve their communication skills and impart the same knowledge to their children also.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Smedley Speechcraft 2015
Language Usage Oxymoron is a pair of words that have opposite meaning but are used together to make the listener pause and think. It
is
used
in
humorous
speeches. Some examples: Clearly Confused Great Depression Act naturally Beautifully painful Deafening silence Pretty ugly Amazingly awful Alone together Virtual reality Random order Original copy Run slowly Awfully delicious Open secret Awfully pretty Big baby Growing smaller Typically odd Naturally strange Weirdly normal Worthless gold Liquid food Heavy diet
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After being sworn in as VP Membership for the Smedley Toastmasters club, I became a frequent visitor to the Toastmasters International website. I started reading toastmaster articles during my free time, and scoured through loads of toastmaster resources online including successful club and leadership series manuals. That’s when I stumbled on an article that talked about the Speechcraft program. The article mentioned that every year, a club loses 40% of its members for various reasons like busy schedule, or transfers or migration or lack of interest.
The article went on to talk about clubs that conducted yearly speechcraft programs. Did you know that a club that conducts speechcraft programs every year will never be low on members? Speechcraft is the only way to retain a steady flow of members. And that’s how I began planning for a speechcraft with the help of an expert, DTM Raghavan. The Smedley Speechcraft 2015 is in progress right now. In a future issue, I’ll share everything that you need to know about conducting a speechcraft. But here’s a flyer from our program for now!
EDUCATION
How to write an Icebreaker Icebreaker is the first prepared speech that you deliver in a toastmaster club. To help speakers identify the kind of information to deliver in an icebreaker, I came up with a list of questions. Answer these questions to find out what you want to talk about in your icebreaker. 1. Where were you born? 2. What country and state do you hail from? 3. Where did you live as a child? What school did you go to?
Icebreaker Objectives: To begin speaking before an audience To discover speaking skills you already have and skills that need some attention Time: Four to Six Minutes
4. What was your childhood like? 5. Who was the most influential person in your childhood? 6. What did you study in college? 7. What kind of a career are you pursuing now? 8. What is your greatest passion?
Icebreaker Points: Talk about yourself, the topic that you’re most familiar with Opening, Body and Con-
9. Describe your current family members.
clusion
10. How did you come to Qatar? How many years here?
Preparing Yourself
11. What is the most important lesson you learned from life?
Presenting your talk
12. Any goals, dreams or aspirations?
Your Evaluation
Once you answer these questions, you’ll find that the answers will become your icebreaker.
Speaker’s Checklist
Some reminders about the Icebreaker speech assignment: 1.Write a striking opening – a question to capture the audience’s interest or a quote 2.Write a fantastic conclusion/closing – either a quote or an inspirational message asking the audience to do something or a conclusion that summarizes what you learned in life. 3.Speech should be about a common theme throughout – which also should be the title of the icebreaker. 4.Time for icebreaker is 4 to 6 minutes only – if you speak at an average rate of 120 words per minute, then your total number of words must be between 480 and 720 words. When you practice, time yourself to make sure that you complete your speech between 4 and 6 minutes. 5.Send your speech to your mentor. Call your mentor and ask for suggestions after sending your speech. By TM Lesiley Mathew Please send your comments to tm.lesmathew@gmail.com
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EDUCATION Overcoming Nervousness Know the room—Go early to the meeting Know the audience—Greet people in the room Know
your
Practice,
material—
practice
and
practice Relax using exercises Visualize
yourself
giving
your speech Realize that people want you to succeed Don’t apologize Concentrate
on
the
message, not the medium Turn
nervousness
into
positive energy Gain
experience
Confidence
comes
— only
through speaking again and again
P1 Icebreaker Sample Speech My Inspired Life Have you ever been inspired to do the impossible? It could be your parents or your spouse or a friend or a teacher who INSPIRED you. This is a story about the people who inspired me on my journey through life. I was born in Qatar at the Hamad Women’s Hospital as the fourth child to my parents. My older siblings grew up in boarding schools but I studied in MES Indian School. I never studied or paid attention in school. But for every exam, I did quite well because my mom kept a close watch on my report card and she really INSPIRED me to work hard at home. If my mom INSPIRED me to study, my dad INSPIRED me to be a good person. When I was growing up, my dad taught me the most important principles of life and INSPIRED me to be a good person –to put others ahead of my needs, to always help everyone and to never cheat anyone out of anything they deserve. My parents found me a good alliance. My husband’s most important quality is that he genuinely cares about people close to him and is very open minded. My husband has INSPIRED me to progress in my career and learn new things. I did a second Masters when I couldn’t find a job because my husband supported my decision. My husband taught me to be confident at job interviews. Today, I have about 13 years of experience in the field of IT, and I excel at my work as a Lead Software Engineer because my husband inspired me ( more like forced me) to work when I just wanted to stay at home! And over the last 10 years, I have had two wonderful girls who are my INSPIRATION to be a super mom, despite working crazy hours. I want to INSPIRE my children to excel in their tasks. You see, without INSPIRATION, we are like a matchbox that will never be lit. Without the INSPIRATION from my family, I wouldn’t have been so successful. TODAY, I want you to become an inspiration to someone in your life.
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One tree can start a forest, One smile begins a friendship, One candle can wipe out darkness, One hope will raise our spirits, One touch can show you care. One life can make a difference, You see, it's up to each of you!
EDUCATION
Tips to Organize Your Speech Organize Objectives
Your
Speech
Select an appropriate outline which allows listeners to easily follow and understand your speech.
Make your message clear with
supporting
material
directly contributing to that message.
Use
appropriate
transiti-
tions when moving from one idea to another.
Create a strong opening and conclusion.
Time: Five to seven minutes
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Organization of Speeches: Speeches can be organized in different ways: 1. Chronological order— You can describe what happened in the past, then continue to the present, followed by a prediction of what you anticipate for the future. 2. Problem—Solution approach—If you are passionate about a particular problem that you experienced , and you feel that it is relevant to the audience, then you can describe the problem, and then continue on to the solutions for that problem. 3. Causal—Effect—Another approach is to describe the causes and effects of a topic. 4. Comparisons—For example, if you want to buy a car, then you can compare the different options available to you by describing the pros and cons of each option, and finally conclude by telling the audience which option is better for you and why!
5. Spatial or geographical—Any speech related to a geographical location is usually considered a spatial organization. Use of Transitions: Transition is any phrase or sentence that connects two different points. Transition Words/Phrases/Techniques
Adding a point: also, moreover, in addition
Supporting material: for example, to illustrate
Usage of Time: soon, then, later, afterward, meanwhile
Compare: however, but, yet, nevertheless, instead, instead of, meanwhile, although
Conclusions: in summary, therefore, finally, as a result
Signposts —Signpost tell audience where you are headed. "There are three things you should do to make your vehicle last. First, you should ....... Second, you should ........ Third, you should....... "
Spotlights for conclusion—Use spotlights to tell the audience that the next part of your speech is important. Examples of spotlights for conclusion are: "If you take only one idea from my presentation it is....." “You might want to take notes here, this point is important."
Source: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~rbrokaw/organizing.html
EDUCATION
Sample Project 2 Speech : My Dream Chariot Why don’t they make a perfume with the smell of a new car?” remarked Dr. Rimas, one of our visiting surgeons. All of us agreed. “Is there anybody in this room who does not love the smell of a new car?” Fellow toastmasters and distinguished guests. Good evening. Buying a car is like adding a member to your family. To get the best value out of this new member you have to go through a careful process. [SIGNPOST] This process has three stages. [TRANSITION TO FIRST POINT] The first stage is the dream, which technically stands for performance of the car. Then you filter by your needs and finally you decide based on your paying capacity. Everyone dreams big. Your dream car is always a few notches above what you need. It can be an ad that you saw in an auto magazine or a car next to a glamorous model at the Motor Show in Qatar. [TRANSITION TO SECOND POINT]In the second stage, you start the research. There is lot of material available online – Kelley blue book, Yahoo Auto and specifically for the gulf region, you have the DriveArabia.com. Before you actually visit a dealer, you should know a fair deal about the car that you want to buy. One day we were discussing Japanese cars and asked our Japanese colleague about his choice. Without any hesitation, in his typical accent, he said ‘BMW’. Most of us feel that larger cars are safer to drive and protects us better in the event of a crash. But smaller cars are agile and easy to maneuver out of potential crash sites. Many people like the view from a larger SUV. But increased ground clearance increases weight and decreases the stability and fuel efficiency. Comfort while driving is also an important factor. No amount of research is complete without a test drive. According to statistics, 90% of potential buyers test drive their vehicle. Don’t fall into the other 10%. Remember to take your family along for the test drive. You don’t want to hear about the narrow back seat from your family for the rest of your car ownership! [TRANSITION TO THIRD POINT] In the third and final phase, the decision is based on the finances. Do not overspend on the car and compromise on your family’s needs. The EMI payment should be an amount that you’re comfortable with. After getting my first job, I decided to buy a Wagon R instead of a Maruti 800. It helped when I had to convert my 3 year loan to a 5 year loan. Also, in a place like Doha, resale value is important in case you have to return to your home country quickly. Toyota Corolla and Honda CRV have very good resale value here. [CONCLUSION SPOTLIGHT] As soon as I get my driving license, I will be in line for buying my new car in Doha. You may find me driving a Toyota Corolla or a Honda CRV. But in my mind’s eye, I will be zipping across town in my red Ferrari. By TM Shylesh K For comments, contact TM Shylesh at skunnanattil@gmail.com
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Member Highlights
Express Journey to DTM TM Rimzan was first informed about a fraternity called toastmasters by his dear friend while visiting his home country, Sri Lanka. TM Rimzan mockingly asked, “Why do you need to join a club to learn how to speak?” The friend told him, “You’ll learn to speak from your mind and heart by joining toastmasters”. TM Rimzan jokingly retorted, “I thought that all of us speak from our mouth.” His friend explained, “When you speak from your mind, you share knowledge. But when you speak from your heart, you share your emotions.” That intrigued TM Rimzan and he looked up toastmasters when he was back in Qatar. In June 2014, TM Rimzan boarded an express train to begin his journey towards the Land of Distinguished Toastmasters.
“You’ll learn to speak from your mind and heart by joining toastmasters.” Since then, TM Rimzan has not missed a single opportunity to speak at our club or any other club that he has visited, and every speech is different, unique and sensational to capture the audience’s interest. In the last 15 months, TM Rimzan has already completed his CC, ACB, ACS and CL manuals and is very close to completing his last communicator award, ACG before the end of this year. Also, in July 2014, he became the Smedley Sergeant At Arms and took on the added responsibility of becoming our official photographer. In June 2015, he became the President of the Stafford Toastmasters Club, a club run at Stafford School. In addition, TM Rimzan was appointed as Club Growth Manager for Division Q by DTM Raghavan. Presently, TM Rimzan is actively pursuing opportunities to form not one, but two new toastmasters clubs within Division Q. TM Rimzan will also be conducting a Speechcraft program for the Stafford Toastmasters club and a Youth Leadership Program for children. At the end of the youth leadership program, he hopes to start a gavels club for children enrolled at the Stafford School. TM Rimzan has proved his talent at leadership with these efforts both at the Division and Club level. He has certainly dazzled all of us with his hard work and unrelenting efforts! The Smedley Toastmasters Club wishes TM Rimzan every success in his express journey and relentless quest to attain the title of Distinguished Toastmaster in such a short span. Go Get That Distinguished Toastmaster Title, TM Rimzan! 22
Health Tips for Chest Pain
Dr. Shylesh a member of the Smedley Toastmasters club is a cardio-thoracic surgeon who works at Al Ahli Hospital. He gave a presentation on October 2nd, 2015 at the Al Ahli Hospital for the Free Open Health Day. Dr. Shylesh’s talk was on “Chest Pain” and here are some of the main highlights of his presentation. Chest pain can be caused by a range of conditions, from not serious to life-threatening. It may be caused by a heart attack or a blood clot in your lungs. Sometimes chest pain or pressure is caused by poor blood flow to your heart (angina). Infection, inflammation, or a fracture in the bones or cartilage in your chest can cause pain or discomfort. Chest pain can also be a symptom of a digestive problem, such as acid reflux or a stomach ulcer. Seek care immediately or call 999 in Qatar if you have any of the following signs of a heart attack: ◦Squeezing, pressure, or pain in your chest that lasts longer than 5 minutes or returns ◦Discomfort or pain in your back, neck, jaw, stomach, or arm ◦Trouble breathing ◦Nausea or vomiting— You cannot stop vomiting or you cannot swallow. ◦Lightheadedness or a sudden cold sweat, especially with trouble breathing. •You have chest discomfort that gets worse, even with medicine. •Your bowel movements are black or bloody. 23
Inspirational
Live Life, Pass It On
Is saving human lives the responsibility of doctors and fire fighters only?? Don’t you think you can also save peoples’ lives? A motivational speaker called Antony Robbins said “In life, lots of people know what to do, but only a few do it. Knowing is not enough! You must take action”. Dear Toastmasters, Have you ever saved someone’s life? Some of you may be thinking that you have never had an opportunity to save a life! My dear friends, you also have an opportunity to save someone else’s life!” It is not as risky as getting into a burning building or fighting with dangerous criminals. You can save lives by doing a simple deed, by doing a single deed, by donating your organs. In a heartbreaking final letter, the Iranian Lady who was hanged said “I don’t want to rot under the soil. I don’t want my eye or my young heart to turn into dust. As soon as I am hanged, my heart, kidney, eye, bones and anything that could be, should be transplanted to the needy.” Organ donation is gifting an organ to someone who needs a transplant. Hundreds of peoples’ lives are saved each year by the generosity of organ donors and their families. Organs can be donated in 2 ways – we can donate organs like kidney, liver, lungs while we are alive. This is usually donated to family. Some people donate organs to complete strangers. When you become a living donor, you become a hero. And the second one -Deceased donors, whose organs are transplanted mainly after an accident or brain death. Up to sixty organs can be transplanted from a deceased person—heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas, tissue such as skin, bone, heart valves and corneas. Jemima Layzell, a thirteen year old girl died in UK after brain damage. She saved the lives of eight people through organ donation. Her parents have found comfort in believing that their daughter is still alive through many. One common myth is that age is a barrier but there really is no age limit in donating. Some believe that organ donation is against one’s religion, but this is not true. Most religions approve of it. In India, 90% of people in the waiting list die without getting an organ. Almost 175,000 people in India need a kidney but less than 5000 receive it. My dear friends, how will you reply when asked to be an organ donor? Will your answer be “Yes I will simply give my healthy organs to save a life,” or “No, I will take my organs with me to rot in my grave”. It is up to you to decide and act! In Qatar you can register with Hamad Medical Corporation and get your ‘donor card’. I already have it. What about you???? If you would like to be a donor, go the Donor website for Hamad at https://www.hamad.qa/EN/your%20health/Organ-Donation/Donation-In-Qatar/Pages/ Becoming-a-Registrant-for-Organ-Donation-after-Death.aspx I urge everyone to be an organ donor. Encourage your family and friends to participate too. This is a powerful gift that you can give freely. Our end can be someone else’s beginning. TM Benov Jacob TM Benov Jacob is the VP Education for Smedley Toastmasters and can be contacted at benovj@gmail.com for comments. 24
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting # 69 at Sharq Capital on Wed, August 19, 2015
We had a joint meeting with Excel Toastmasters for the Smedley Toastmasters Meeting # 69. It was nice to see many of our members today! The Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD) was TM Maimoona and she did a phenomenal job of introducing everyone. Our General Evaluator today was Division Director for Division Q, DTM N V Raghavan who not only ran the evaluation session well but also motivated two guests to join the club. TM Rimzan gave an educational module despite being tired and really busy at work. All the speakers, TM Shinoz, TM Jothi and TM Bijith gave excellent speeches.
Our role player today from Smedley was the timer TM Shylesh. TM Mohammed Ali and TM Kamruddin joined at the last minute and took part in table topics. The best table topics speaker was our guest TM Navaz Dhahrasa. A special thanks to our executive committee members, especially TM Vimal, our club president who spent his birthday with us and TM Benov, our VPE for managing the changing agenda with so much patience and ease and for being the Table Topic Master today and taking great photographs at the new location, the sergeant at arms TM Mustafa for his fantastic work in managing the meeting room, intro and snacks. It is a privilege to be part of such a great team and it feels good to be part of such a dynamic club. We look forward to seeing all our members and guests attend the next meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
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Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting # 70 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Sept 2, 2015
We had a fantastic Smedley Toastmasters Meeting # 70 on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at Sharq Capital. TM Ammad was the sergeant at arms, treasurer and table topics master. The President TM Vimal Raj announced that we've signed a one year contract with Sharq capital starting today! TM Benov Jacob provided an inspirational TMOD session. TM Bijith was a great General Evaluator(GE) and also participated as a table topic speaker! Our role players for the meeting were excellent—TM Mohammad Ali was the Ah counter , TM Maimoona was our dear smiling grammarian and TM Kamruddin was our ever enthusiastic timer! Thanks to our speakers for beautiful speeches - TM Vimal gave a humorous P8 speech on the truth about lies and TM Jothi gave an advanced speech on Animal Motivation. Thanks to TM Rimzan who motivated so many table topics speakers to speak today with his educational module on impromptu speaking. Our new members TM Nawaz and his better half TM Akhila are rising stars- TM Akhila won the best table topics speaker with some excellent points about why it's better to try and fail rather than not try at all. TM Lesiley’s daughter, Leah also tied for best table topics speaker by saying that maths is her hobby. We had a great meeting and we’re looking forward to more members participating for our next meeting on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. 26
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting #71 on Wed, Sept 16, 2015 at Sharq Capital
We had a great meeting # 71 yesterday with excellent speeches. Our Sergeant at arms TM Mustafa is back in action and did a great job of setting up the meeting and started the meeting on time. TM Vimal opened the meeting and switched to the role of TMOD. To support his theme of “Super Hero�, he brought his son's super hero toys - the hulk and superman and delivered a humorous angle to the theme. Our role players did really well -TM Pavithra took on the role of timer. TM Rimzan became the Ah counter. TM Shibu the VP PR was our grammarian. TM Midhun gave his P9 on the importance of organic food since he is newly married and trying to follow a healthy diet with his wife. TM Kamruddin gave an emotional P9 speech on why we should balance our work and personal life to avoid health issues. He told us about his friend who turned blind due to health issues and excessive focus on work. It was a heart wrenching story that really happened to his dear friend. TM Shylesh gave an informative P2 speech like an expert speaker. His speech told us how to buy a car using three ideas - dream first, test drive with family and finally choose based on budget and resale value. His conclusion is that we should buy a Toyota Corolla or Honda CR-V in Doha. TM Benov delivered his advanced speech on global warming by telling us the effects of global warming through a great presentation. The best speaker award went to TM Kamruddin.
Table topics session included questions about super heroes at work, college, school and home. Mr Mayooran won the table topics by saying that he was a super hero at home by knowing how to keep both his mother and his newly married wife happy! Our evaluators were TM Rimzan, TM Lesiley, TM Ammad and TM Philip and did a honest but positive evaluation for all speeches. The best evaluator award went to TM Lesiley. Our general evaluator TM Philip Cherian was the heart and soul of the meeting by running the evaluation session well. We had a great meeting and we look forward to great participation at our next meeting, which is on Wednesday Sept 30 at Sharq Capital.
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Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting # 72 at Sharq Capital on Wed, October 7, 2015
Our sergeant at arms was fantastic with his perfect meeting setup and powerful introduction of our President TM Vimal. Our TMOE for the evening was our very own immediate past VPE TM Jothi - yes, he's back in action with A PENCIL (the theme of today's meeting)! He talked about human behavior by comparing the pencil to our daily life. We had three excellent speakers. TM Navaz delivered his ice-breaker, a love story about him and his dear wife, TM Akhila, our timer. TM Navaz won the best speaker award for his icebreaker and also received a standing ovation. Then TM Ammad gave his informational P8 presentation on Diabetes. TM Rimzan gave an advanced module on the art of negotiations. His final quote "A Negotiator is made not born" was chosen by the grammarian TM Shylesh as a good usage of the English language. Speaking of grammarian, TM Shylesh chose the word "Swimmingly" which means without difficulty. TM Akhila was a great timer. TM Maimoona was the silent but striking Ah counter. Our table topics master, TM Benov, came with an innovative idea of story-telling and gave each table topic speaker a story. Our new member, TM Aijaz, won the best table topic award after saying a story about the golden egg and concluding that we also try and achieve success quickly like the impatient farmer who killed the hen to get all the eggs in one scoop. Our general evaluator TM Thayalan was also fantastic. His team of evaluators were TM Vimal and TM Kamruddin. TM Vimal received the best evaluator award. Overall, we had a beautiful meeting and our next meeting is on Wednesday, October 21, 2015. 28
Club Meeting Photos
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Tickling Toastmasters Have you ever heard of the word “GLASSOPHOBIA”? As per Wikipedia, GLASSOPHOBIA or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. The word glossophobia comes from the Greek word glōssa, meaning tongue, and the word phobos means fear or dread. Check out what we found out on Google about the fear of public speaking!
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Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose members
of
helping
improve
communication,
their public
speaking, and leadership skills.
TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL VALUES: Integrity, Respect, Service And Excellence
SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS
Meets on Every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays At Sharq Capital C-Ring Road, Doha, Qatar Phone: 66053485 Email: tm.lesmathew@gmail.com www.SmedleyToastmasters.ORG
EVERY TOASTMASTER’S JOURNEY BEGINS
OUR CLUB MISSION:
WITH A SINGLE
We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
SPEECH !