ATMC Newsletter - April 2022

ANURADHAPURA TOASTMASTERS CLUB DISTRICT-82

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AREA H1

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CLUB NO: 2549382

Club Newsletter ISSUE 10

361

| Year 2021/ 22

April 2022

BEYOND the Circle

“ betterinlate thanand work hard “Start believing yourself towards neveryour ” goal."

- TM Shabry Samoon -

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P.9- 10

“ Mingle with another Family” - A Hybrid ExperienceP.13

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Contents 3 4 5 6 7

President Pens..

Division Director Writes..

Editor's Note & Coeditors Note Believe, Achieve, Receive Mentoring

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The Experience of organizing Club Events

13

Hear from Kandy Toastmasters

A Hybrid Experience

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The Unexpected Gift

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Communication

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Pathways Corner

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Photo Corner

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Being a Helping Hand

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Achievements and Recognition

9/10

Chat with a champion

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Executive Committee

Grow to Glow

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Toastmasters International Mission

We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.

Toastmasters International Core Values Integrity Service Excellence Respect

Members Onboard Event Calendar

Toastmasters International Envisioned Future To be the first-choice provider of dynamic, high-value, experiential communication and leadership skills development.

Editorial Team Newsletter Editors TM Sharala Wijekoon TM Wimukthi Dhananjaya

The Cover Story

Creative Editors A moment from the 'When She Leads' themed meeting 3rd February 2022 o

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TM Ama Shakya Mohamed Rifnaz, DTM TM Darshana Ekanayake

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President Pens...

Move Forward ...

Life doesn't have to be the same all the time, and it can be easy to become stagnant and distracted. As the President of the Anuradhapura Toastmasters club, I strongly believe it's a privilege to write this article for our newsletter.

Toastmasters provides support and guidance to leaders those who will continue to move forward in the face of adversity. True leaders are those who guide their lives and their people. Whatever difficulties there may be, they must be managed and move forward. When the plague of Covid 19 disrupted the normal life of the people, we adapted our meetings very successfully through the online system.

Not only did the members complete their pathways through it, but we also contributed immensely to the international speech contest, and the humorous speech contest .We still cannot bear the loss of our beloved former President. But we did not stop our journey to make his dream a reality .We are still committed to it.

o

Our former president, TM Sanjeewani Ginigaddara, becoming the first Women Vice Chancellor of Rajarata University is another achievement that we have achieved . Despite the challenges, but we also celebrated it with a well-planned felicitation ceremony.

In each case, we believed ourselves and our strength as a club.True leaders are born out of self-confidence, even in challenging times.So if you want to be happy looking at the path you have taken one day, you have to move forward with perseverance, even during challenges.May you have the strength to move forward with confidence!

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Tharaka Amarasena, DTM President

Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club

4 Division Director Writes ...

GOING BEYOND ...

I am humbled and privileged to pen the Division Director’s message to my very own home club, Anuradhapura Toastmasters Clubs’ newsletter.

Why have you joined Toastmasters? This is one of the common questions asked in Toastmasters events. But have you honestly replied to the question earlier? If you haven’t replied to it yet, don’t worry, you are not too late. If you have replied to it earlier, take this as a review.

Toastmasters is the place to learn and practice your communication and leadership skills. It starts with your club by playing roles, doing speeches, taking an exco role and many more. When we practice these within the club, we will become good leaders. There is no doubt about it. But how we can become better leaders depends on our capacity to practice these roles beyond the club. Taking the leadership opportunities at the area level is the first step that you can put beyond the club. Area Director, area council member and Area level speech contest role players are a few of those roles.

I would like to recall what DTM Arunasalam Balraj, our nation’s pride, past International President of Toastmasters International said about Toastmasters, “Toastmasters club is a learning laboratory”. You try new things, get failed, get the feedback, correct the mistakes, re-do the things, and finally get succeeded.

This is what we do in the science laboratory. What if we can apply the same formula in our Toastmasters club meetings? Do speeches, play role plays, do mistakes, get feedback, apply the feedback, improvise what we did earlier and finally get succeeded. We all have got a wonderful place to craft as better communicators.

Why we can’t put the extra little effort to break the barrier to becoming a success.

Probably we all know the four core values of Toastmasters; Integrity, Respect, Service & Excellence.

However, if I ask you do you remember the Toastmaster’s promise? most of you might wonder what it is. The promise every Toastmaster gives at the time he/she gets the membership of Toastmasters International is the Toastmaster’s promise. If you ask me, why these problems occurred in your Toastmasters journey, it was only because the promise was forgotten. Please log on to the following link, read it with your heart and make sure not to make it a forgotten promise. (https://www.toastmasters.org/About/Toastmasters-Promise ) Wish you all the very best!!

Mohamed Rifnaz, DTM Division Director Division H

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5 Editor’s Note

If we need to be successful people, we have to face challenges and accept challenges. Being the club newsletter editor is one of the challenging opportunities that I received in my life. We are in a busy world, we haven't much, more time to improve ourselves but thousand of opportunities are waiting for us. I strongly believe that a club newsletter is one of the golden opportunities that club members have received to improve their selves. This creates a platform to express members' genuine thoughts and also helps to improve their skills such as thinking and creativity. We have a divergent community in Toastmasters, handle them together was the biggest challenge, in the journey of making the club newsletter. Several Reminders, calls, Plans, and discussions made the dream of a club newsletter a reality. I and co -the editor would like to pay our gratitude and appreciation to those who encouraged us and supported us. Club Newsletter is a treasure that contains priceless wealth. I invite all of you to search for that wealth

TM Sharala Wijekoon Newsletter Editor

Co -Editor’s Note As a co-editor of e-newsletter this term at Anuradhapura Toastmaster club ,I learned a new experience by coordinating activities with the editor and our club members. This is a new learning experience for me. During this role I have to perform the planning themes and tracks for the articles with the editor, communicate with club members, editing and organizing the articles. With the prevailing situation of the country it is very difficult to go smoothly with this procedure but anyhow with the editor I was able to manage the works of the e- newsletter. There is a great statement called “facts don’t lie”. So I invite you to read this comprehensive e-newsletter for your improvement of knowledge and experience towards becoming future leaders for a sustainable world.

TM Wimukthi Dhananjaya Co -Editor o

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6 BELIEVE... ACHIEVE...RECEIVE...

When I look back at the way I came, I passed high mountain peaks, lonely roads, gloomy roads, and flowering paths.

I reached my one destination. Today, I am thrilled to celebrate my achievement with so much comfort, so much optimism. My life journey was never along a path of petals of roses. There were so many ups and downs. Luckily, I had the wisdom to realize the purpose of life. Even though lots of interruptions challenged me, I didn't stop my journey of learning. It was not just about qualifying with the highest academic qualifications but also gaining knowledge from many life experiences. In our lives, we can't reach our goals without sacrifices. Being the first-ever lady Vice-Chancellor at the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka is one of the tremendous achievements in my life. The secret behind that achievement is a set of sacrifices. At the very beginning, some people except my loved ones didn't believe me, but I didn't stop believing in myself and my hopes and aspirations. When people blocked my path, I endured it all though with unease. I tried to do my level best whatever ever do in my life and I gave my fullest effort to make that target successful also I had a systematic plan for that.

I invested lots of things to accomplish my goals. My time, my wealth, my knowledge, and my family time are them.

In that journey, I didn't expect paybacks from others for those investments. Always I tried to help people, whether they accept me or not. Always I believed that the universe will bless me for my success in return if I do good.

Another secret to my success is my quench of thirst for knowledge. It forced me to explore new knowledge. I tried to learn even from my students. In some cases, other people were not ahead of me in terms of educational qualifications, but I never hesitated to learn from them. Even today I'm learning thousands of lessons from others.

Toastmasters club occupied a significant part of my life. As a result of joining toastmasters, I became more confident as a public speaker and created a stronger social network. The toastmaster's network continues to inspire me day by day. A person receives a felicitation for deserving to be praised and honored in return.

Toastmasters always toasted for others. I appreciate that decent quality. Today I am enjoying your tribute to my infinite sacrifices. I believed in myself and received your felicitation for what I achieved in my life. It is possible to be happy with what we get if we make unlimited sacrifices for something. We need to invest every moment in success.

You have to move forward even in the face of obstacles. That will pave the way for eternal happiness.

TM Sanjeewanie Ginigaddara Immediate Past President (2021/22), ATMC

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7 Mentoring... “ A mentor is someone who allows you to you to see the hope inside yourself” Oprah Winfreg “Toastmaster” is an action, not a noun. It’s a learning process. In this learning process Mentor plays a vital role. Today a guest tomorrow will become a toastmaster with a specific objective.

To achieve that objective new member needs the support and guidance of an experienced toastmaster. This experience toastmaster is called the mentor. Any member who had completed the entire path and been in good standing for at least six months with mentorship training can become a mentor.

Members listen well and understand the member's concerns and challenges. The mentors share their own experiences with the protégée and encourage her to think for herself.

Mentor mainly focuses on the similarities between her and the protégé than the differences. Availability, Preparedness and commitment are essential qualities of a mentor.

I think it's valuable that mentors attend meetings when their mentees give speeches Mentors always focus on multiple long term goals.

Mentoring is one of the most valuable opportunities anyone can get. , Mentoring can improve personal development and foster professional growth when a protégée has the guidance, encouragement and trusted mentor.

"Mentoring is one of the most valuable opportunities anyone can get. "

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TM Lalani Wijesekara

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Mentoring...

Being a Helping Hand “A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of you to show that how they did it. A mentor is someone who walks alongside to show what you can do.”

When I first entered the fraternity, I had reservations about whether or not I would be able to live up to the expectations, and whether or not I would be able to survive in this fraternity. Fortunately, I had senior members who aided me in taking firm initial steps on the road. My mentors were the helpful hands that ensured my survival. They led and showed me the way, and they accepted and encouraged me to be myself. They instilled faith in me. To be unique and carve out my own way. They've been the shadow behind my toastmasters' journey for years, and they continue to show me the way.

It gave me a sense of delight and duty when I was appointed a mentor for the first time. It gives me great pleasure to be able to lend a hand to new members who are just starting out in toastmasters. Mentors must be available to answer questions from mentors. The majority of new members have reservations about their abilities. We must re-establish self-confidence as mentors. Always make yourself available to them when they require assistance. Boosting their morale. They are being strengthened. Mentees are not novices; they are skilled persons with untapped potential, and we must push them to their limits in order to improve them. to make them more sparkly Mentoring is not a simple task. It's not just about advising and instructing on how things were done in the past. It's also a wonderful learning experience for the mentor.

It reminded me of my first few days as a toastmaster when I was working with mentees. I was aware of the pressures and anxieties that come with that position. . how I felt when we were in that position.

Mentors show genuine concern for their mentees' well-being and pass on their knowledge and learning experiences to them. They are aware of the mentality, background, and potential. There is no universal way to guide a mentee. Each and every one is unique and blessed with a different set of skills. To accommodate various needs, we must carve out diverse instructional paths. In order to do so, their backgrounds and attitudes must be properly comprehended. Mentoring someone does not imply that we mould them into our own image, but rather that we allow them to forge their own.

Mentoring is a two-way process that benefits both sides. A mentor sees more talent and ability within the mentee, than they see in themselves, and helps bring it out. mentors will become more and more proficient in learning and teaching. It is beneficial to reflect on our previous failures. To improve ourselves, we learn from mentees. It allows us to broaden our horizons and consider new ideas. Our ability to comprehend the emotions of others. Our ability to communicate and interact with others. We also adjust our management style to fit various characters Overall, it contributes to your personal development and offers you a sense of fulfilment in knowing that you have helped another individual achieve glory. Ultimately mentoring will leave an everlasting legacy on the mentee and mentor and unbreakable rapport between them.

TM Darshana Ekanayake o

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9 Chat with a Champion A Legacy Found by Chance It was an accident, I would say. When I was reading my degree at the University of Peradeniya, Faculty of Engineering, we got to know that there was a speechcraft programme being organised by Kandy Toastmasters Club. It was open to those who wanted to improve their public speaking skills. At that time, I had no girlfriend, and most of my weekends were spent watching movies and playing games. So I thought, why shouldn’t I give it a try? It was my very first exposure to toastmasters, and after the completion of 10 weeks of an intense speech crafter program, I started to love toastmasters. I was mesmerised by the great personalities who took part in the programme as keynote speakers, and I was dreaming big of transforming myself into myself like those toastmasters. Then I got to know about the Gavel Club of the University of Peradeniya, and I will be able to continue developing myself as a toastmaster soon after the completion of the speechcraft program. So that is my humble beginning. But officially, I got my membership as a toastmaster on May 1st, 2012 under the Holcim Palavi Toastmasters Club. And after 10 years here, I am getting ready to contest at the district level, representing Division H in a humorous speech contest.

Stepping to the Victory Am I a Champion? Since I won the division contest, you might call me so. But whenever I look back at my speeches, I never feel the glory of a champion. I always look for ways to improve my speeches and I pay more attention to details. So, coming back to the question, having an open mindset to learn and accept feedback has been the most crucial characteristic of mine that drove me to become a division champion. It’s always better to think and craft a speech with more than one brain (you can use as many brains as possible, even seven brains would do;). As for the second point, I would say you've always got to put a sizable effort into both crafting and practising your speech. A great speech concept would not fall from the sky out of blue. It takes some effort to take you along on a creative idea generation roller-coaster ride to craft the best speech. Great speeches are re-written many times. And it requires a ton of midnight oil to practice a speech and internalize it. Presenting a well-practised speech should be as comfortable as singing the "Happy Birthday" song.

Developing through Experience The best thing that happened to me throughout this journey was having the opportunity to get to know many mentors and coaches and to grasp their experiences and views. I have been fortunate enough to talk to many mentors to craft my speeches and refine the delivery, and I was amazed by the selfless support they have given me to shape my skills. Some speakers were contesting against me, but they were humble enough to enlighten me with valuable feedback. The resilience and humility required to accept feedback push the boundaries of your accomplishments to new heights. One of the great mentors was Ravindu Amendra, who was the humorous speech champion for the year 2021. He always encouraged me to improve the bits and pieces of my speeches. I still remember what he used to say when I was not putting enough effort into it: "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die." These are the invaluable experiences I gained through Toastmasters. o

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Grow as a Champion

If you want to succeed in any arena, the vital thing to do is to start believing in yourself and working hard towards your goal. When I was a member of the Palavi Toastmasters Club, I remember one member won the area speech contest, and to honour his achievement, there was a banner displayed in front of the company.

Still, I remember when I saw that I thought, "I’ll never be able to do it." But many years later and working hard, I realized that once you believe in yourself and work towards it, you can achieve it.

A Real Champion Winning a contest does not make you a real champion. As Toastmasters, we gain recognition as we progress through the Toastmasters program. But just think back and observe closely. Have you inspired or motivated at least one toastmaster to achieve their goal of becoming a toastmaster? Otherwise, you'll be the only one who gets all of the club's attention. Have you mentored or encouraged your fellow toastmasters to unleash the great speaker within? Those are the real questions that come to my mind when you mention the word "real champion". Friends helping friends, that’s our motto. Let's live up to that motto and pass the legacy. That makes you a real champ.

Become a Champ in Toastmasters Toastmasters have their support system to develop champions. It’s just a matter of reaching out to prominent toastmasters and getting mentored by them while learning by listening to their speeches. Every pathway speech you do in the context of the club is an opportunity given to you to deliver something amazing to your fellow toastmasters. Every opportunity you get to evaluate a speaker is an opportunity given to you to critically observe the best characteristics of a speaker and to learn. Grab any tiny opportunity you get in a regular toastmaster meeting and put your maximum effort into it to gain some skills. That’s how it helps to become a champ.

Dream, Believe and Work Hard I think throughout the conversation I have given some glimpses of my message. It is simple: "Take every opportunity as a challenge, start believing in yourself and work hard." In the beginning, even your mind starts to doubt you, saying "Oh my, you are dreaming too far, be realistic." But once you set limits in your mind, it acts as a barrier. To begin, break down mental barriers and remain open-minded; think freely and work hard.

TM Shabry Samoon Puttalam Toastmasters Club o

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11 Grow to Glow Experience Makes you Grow Unforgettable If someone asked me what my biggest weak point was, I answered as it was my leadership. But I know with this answer I'm going to surprise the person I'm talking with.

Because lots of my friends and my school teachers thought I had good leadership. But as everyone has their hidden weak point, I had a weak point of not having proper planning, organising and sharing work with others. So as a leader I used to give this part to my fellow. But as I never thought I had to be the editor of Toastmasters Newsletter.

How could I escape from planning and organising part now? I thought I can't do that. I wanted to escape and leave Toastmasters. I wanted to be in hospital so that I can tell them I can't do it because of this excuse. But there was no chance to explain an excuse. I understood how I was so lucky to have such an amazing second family, there were so many hands to lift me upwards and show me the way to handle that situation. Yes. I did it. This is the biggest achievement I achieved. I had the chance to speak and communicate with lots of Toastmasters. Especially I had the opportunity to connect with a foreign Toastmaster too.

I noted down a set of unforgettable memories of newsletter editing in my diary. I was over the moon.

After this incident, I'm so confident as a leader. Because the fear of planning and organising an event or a specific task has gone. Not only that there were so many skills I improved like communication skills, leadership skills, identifying people's abilities and my English vocabulary and English language and so on. However, I achieved this and improved myself because of taking this opportunity.

Even though sometimes we think about opportunities as burdens that give us a headache, if we move mountains and reach the peak we can see a new ray of light that helps us to light our lives. So never hesitate to take opportunities to make yourself better

My journey as a Toastmaster started with a lot of nervousness due to my fear of public speaking. I used to skip speeches that I had to cover purposely, which was why club contesting was a dream for me.

However, one day I was approached by our late President Toastmaster Thusitha Jayasuriya and requested to do a speech for the Humorous Speech Club Contest. At once I burst out saying “I won’t!”.

But he firmly said, “You Should”. I have never participated in any contest before and this was the very first opportunity that I got. This was not an easy task for me to have an experience in a club contest. Rain or Shine I decided to participate in that and I made my first script and started my practice. As the big day arrived, I began to be nervous, once the contest started, and me being speaker no 01, made me more nervous! But thank God my nerves calmed me midway through my speech completing it smoothly exactly how I practiced it.;”1 st place Shihari!”; was the announcement. I couldn't’ believe my ears! I was in tears. What I thought was a dream for me happened. This made me realize nothing is impossible! Now I can realize, that participating in a contest, is nothing to hesitate, but participation in a contest teaches us lots of life experiences. Even it gives us a chance to realize our potential and emphasis our courage. In a contest the way we practice , the way we prepare , the way we organize ourselves and believe our selves definitely will determine our development . The day, I won the humorous club contest was one of a dream I have ever achieved in my life. Last year's speech contest was a great example of Toastmaster's experiences.

The support that I received from our club members of the Toastmasters community was incredible and that sums up the people who are members of this great club and organization.

TM Durangi Kemali

TM Shihari Piyathilake

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Experience of Organizing Club Events From Wheel to the Steering Wheel Can a wheel be transformed into a steering wheel? Do you believe that Toastmasters can do that transformation?

When I was joining Toastmasters, I was just a wheel where I was managed and handled by a steering wheel. But Toastmasters’ impact on me made me a powerful steering wheel. In a vehicle, the steering wheel is the leader who drives the wheels in the correct direction. Likewise, I was transformed from a follower to a leader through the impact of toastmasters. Let me share my story of how I transformed myself from a wheel to a steering wheel.

One day our president called me and gave me the responsibility to coordinate a gavel club. At that moment, I’d never had that kind of responsibility. I handled every meeting, model meeting, and speech related to the gavel club. It was my job as the liaison between the students and toastmasters. Through this, I learned how to communicate with different parties to make things a success. That was the first step to becoming a steering wheel in the journey.

In the same year, I had chosen as the secretary of the organizing committee of the Installation. Therefore, I had lots of responsibilities. When I had chosen, I was hesitant to accept that because I did not have much experience in handling many tasks. But many of the toastmasters who had experienced were with me throughout the time. With their help, I was able to do my best to make that event success. Last year, as an idea of our area director, we had a virtual get together named "Eve with Coffee". I had chosen as a member of the organizing committee. I got to know many new friends from different clubs in our area through that event. Finally, we managed to have a great time even though the event had taken place online. Little by little, I gained lots of experiences through those events and my role shifted from one of a follower to a leader.

When I joined Toastmasters, I was hesitant to take leadership in the activities. But now, I am not only able to take leadership in many events held at my university but also able to make them successful. I believe that Toastmasters was where I was made the transition from being a wheel to being a steering wheel. That is not just a place where one improves public speaking skills. It is the place where leaders are made.

12 One Step Forward The activities and events organized at the club level are Club meetings, Club Executive Committee meetings, Club speech contests, Speech Craft workshops and any other activities.

Among those activities, organizing activities, not in the Toastmaster routing was a kind of challenge.

Celebrating the achievement not only in Toastmaster but also in a member’s professional life will boost the member’s confidence and motivation. Taking the time to recognize one member’s achievement allows us to share the story of success with other members. As members of the Anuradhapura Toastmasters club, we want to celebrate the achievement of the appointment of Vice-Chancellor of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka by our own member Toastmaster Sanjeewani Ginigaddara.

I was appointed as the Organizing Chair of that felicitation event. Leading the team for a non-Toastmasters event is not an easy task. As a leader, I listened to the ideas of each and every member of the club. I had to communicate the objectives of the event among the members effectively and respect their ideas before organizing the event.

As a leader of the organizing committee, I understood the skills of each and every member of the organizing committee and delegated the work among them. I followed up on the delegated task until the event succeeded.

Toastmasters are where leaders are made. There are many public speaking competitions but there can be no leadership competition. Leadership can be developed through participation, taking up responsibilities and taking the values of others into consideration in the process of doing so. This was the greatest opportunity to develop my leadership skills by respecting fellow Toastmasters.

TM Samanthi Sudarshani TM Banula Kumarage o

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A Hybrid Episode

It was a fresh experience to participate in a hybrid meeting, joint with Kandy Toastmasters Club. I wondered how it is going on since I didn’t get such kind of involvement, rather than pure online or physical. Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club was the online participant and the setup was ready at CEB auditorium in Kandy. Ending my curiosity, the Round Robin session was held separately and it was very well done. When it came to the prepared speech segment, it was another marvellous contact with talented speakers, especially from KTMC whom I have never met before. It is needless to say, this hybrid meeting was a satisfactory stage where we can absorb the various speech styles, vocabulary, body language and different overviews of evaluations of speakers, whom we don’t get the opportunity to meet physically. Nevertheless, as an online participant in the hybrid meeting I faced difficulties with audio and video quality, affects directly to the enthusiasm of the forum. The major problem I encountered was the clarity of speeches. Catching the pronunciation and facial expressions of speakers was hard going due to poor audio & lighting equipment. Another factor to consider was, that online evaluators had to put strenuous effort to do their role regarding physical speakers due to the above obstacles. Further, I didn’t feel a friendly environment but a somewhat strange situation. I believe lack of interconnection was the root cause of this circumstance. For these reasons, my interest in the meeting dropped the nadir. Essentially, with sound background of technical support, hybrid meetings can be up to par. But with the very first experience I had, hybrid episodes will be no longer in my Toastmaster book.

TM Wasana Eashwara

Hear from Kandy Toastmasters The online platform became the rainbow on our horizon when COVID and lock-downs had got its iron grip on our ways of socializing; proving that it was only physical distancing that was not possible. In fact, online socializing became an integral part for Toastmasters. We could arrange joint meetings with Clubs around the country and even be connected with Toastmasters through international meetings eliminating the hassle of traveling from one point to another.

Meeting the Anuradhapura Toastmasters online through ‘Zoom’ on 22nd of February was exhilarating and turned out to be the foundation for a strong friendship between our members.

It was a great learning process for the Toastmasters of both Kandy and Anuradhapura who joined the1st ever hybrid joint meeting. It was also one of the few physical meetings for some of our Kandy Toastmasters after the long lapse caused by the pandemic. There were balloons and a cake for us to actually wish our member TM Githmini ‘Happy Birthday!’. The KTM meeting was held at our usual venue of CEB Auditorium, with the ATMC members projected on the large screen in front. After the initial, “Oh! Lovely to see you… “You look the same/ different … After almost 2 years!”; we settled down to the preamble on meeting formalities by the Sgt.at Arms. The Round Robin session created an icebreaker switching from Kandy to friends on the screen. Considering the fact that it was a joint meeting, members of both Clubs had put in extra efforts to render an impressive set of prepared speeches. The Table Topics gave more challenge in impromptu speaking for the host and visitors. In the words of our VPPR TM Ammar, it was a “FUN and EXCITING evening!” . A heartfelt thank you to our fellow toastmasters from Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club. We had a great time learning about conducting hybrid meetings together. We look forward to meeting you all in person sometime soon, hopefully by making it a trip to the ancient city of Anuradhapura.

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14 The Bond with Other clubs The Unexpected Gift When I first joined the Anuradhapura Toastmasters Club, I didn’t know anyone in the club. It was uncomfortable for me. But after a few days, things became completely different. Even though there were high-level professionals, everybody was the same. Even though there were members of different ages, everybody was the same. Day by dayToastmasters club became a familiar place to me. A few months ago, a virtual gathering was held in Area H 1. There was a mini-drama, I was lucky enough to be a part of it. This event was conducted with the participation of other clubs in Area H1. While we were practising the drama, we got to know each other. Every one of them was very friendly and helpful. We all had an enjoyable time together. Now I have a bunch of friends from other clubs too. And also I had the opportunity to participate in the Humorous Speech Contest of Polonnaruwa Toastmasters Club as a Tally Counter. At first, I was a bit afraid as I haven’t had the experience of being a Contest official before. But after a few minutes, the Chief Judge spoke to me in a friendly manner and made me aware of my role and I did it well.

It is said that “Friendship means lots of happiness; lots of smiles; lots of fun and it gives you a person who stands beside you in your good and bad times.”In my experience, toastmasters are not only perfect in helping people improve their public speaking skills, but they are also excellent at facilitating social networking. The extraordinary personalities in toastmasters clubs provide a big impact to develop our skills, knowledge and attitudes. That will help us to make a tremendous change in our lives. We should cooperate with other clubs if our dream is to become true leaders, and creating a social network is vital .

It’s true. Today I have many friends in my Toastmasters family and I am sure they will be by my side in my good and bad times as they always try to motivate me. My dear friends, “LIFE IS ALWAYS BRINGINGS UNEXPECTED GIFTS’’. I have achieved it from my Toastmasters family.

''Toastmasters will help us to make a tremendous change in our lives.''

TM Pramitha Kularatne o

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15

Communication

Practices for Good Usage of Language Learning any language is a quite different from learning any other thing. To master a language we have to apply different teaching and learning strategies. As you all know we have being learning English as a second language since our childhood but we have not yet achieved certain language proficiencies such as pronunciation and spellings.

To learn any language the most important thing we have to do is listening to the native speakers of the language we are going to learn. Even without aware of the meanings of the word the learner should repeat the words; imitate them. Next step is the most important practice; start to speak every single word we learn where ever possible. Look and read (look in the book and pick a sentence then look out the book and read aloud) any text also helps to develop pronunciation and the spellings.

The next important step is developing the vocabulary and we have to pay extra vigilant for this because memorizing all the new words is not a wise idea because some time we will not come across certain words for life, for this we always have to pay attention to read and understand contemporary contexts and identify commonly used words and get familiar with them. When we try to develop the vocabulary we have to pay our attention to keep in our mind a chunk of words or else a phrases instead of a single word, for instance if we want to keep in our mind the adjective “spontaneous” we have to keep in our mind a phrase like “spontaneous forest fire” or “spontaneous applause” then it will be easier to memorize and re use later.

While doing above basic practices it’s important to consider about the different between our mother tongue and the language we are going to learn. This is a bit of critical part since we cannot get a meaning of a language word by word from another language, one of the main reasons for this is structure of sentence or word order of two languages can be completely different. For instance in English, the basic structure of a sentence is SUBJECT +VERB+ OBJECT but in Sinhala it is SUBJECT +OBJECT + VERB. On the other hand in some languages it is used few words to express an idea but another needs many words to express the same. For instance in Sinhala we can ask easily “warthamana janadipathi lankawe keweni Janadhipathi da?” But in English we cannot ask it that easily, it has to be something like “In what place is the present president in the line of succession of the presidents of Sri Lanka?” or else “How many presidents had been before the present president in the line of succession of presidents in Sri Lanka?” The best thing we have to do to cope with such a situation is to avoid translate word to word instead think in the particular language. Finally we can write a diary using all the vocabulary, tenses and grammatical points that we learn daily As a summary for good usage of a language we have to have a practice of listening to native speakers and repeating the words, speaking every learned word, practicing look and say, memorizing chunk of words for vocabulary, thinking in relevant language, avoiding translating word to word and writing a comprehensive diary.

TM Gamini Wijeratne o

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16 Pathways Corner Blooming Toastmaster The first time, giving a speech is truly a special moment.

The beginning of something special never forgets the first time that I delivered a speech.It was the 1st of September 2021. I am extremely shy and nervous to say anything in front of the public. As it was the speech that was completely relevant to me, there were a lot of experiences, memories were flooding into my mind. I selected a speech topic according to my characteristics and personality, I selected “Blooming flower” as the topic. It matched with my life experiences too. At the very beginning of my speech, I shared the experience of my first ever public performance as a “Flower” in grade 1. From then up to university entrance, I crafted all my special events. Also, I was lucky enough to participate in the present 8 programs conducted by Area H4. I learned a lot of techniques for “How to craft a speech”. Through it, I added colour to my speech by using rhythmic words, dramatic scenes, and humorous phrases The General Evaluator started to call upon the evaluators of the prepared speech session. I was anxiously waiting to hear my first-ever evaluation. My evaluator was DTM Tharaka Amarasena.At the end of his evaluation, He presented a commendable statement, With all the plus points and points to improve. “Dear TM Asini Warnasooriya, You are a Blooming Toastmaster. Wish you all the best for your future speeches.”I was over the moon after hearing those words from an experienced toastmaster. My level of enthusiasm, to be a confident And successful toastmaster increased up to the sky since that day. Day by day I sharpened my skills by practising, searching for new information with the help of experiences that I gained from the toastmasters. Completing levels in the pathway become a joyful achievement in my journey.

After the day of my ice breakers speech, a new chapter started in my life book. It was a “Blooming Toastmaster.”

TM Asini Nisansa

Beginning of a Long Journey Completing the 1st level of the pathway didn't seem like actual work, because it became a part of life, almost everything in the pathway in a way was about improving a certain part of life. It was hard at first. Didn't even know about a base camp. But things started getting easier as time went by. Because other Toastmasters help you learn where you are good at and where you can improve.

Looking back now, it didn't even matter much what the pathway contained, it was the process involved that had the most impact. Interacting with friends, learning new ways of seeing and choosing topics you like, these made the difference, these made the journey fun.

TM Sadun Thimira o

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17 Photo Corner Awareness Session at RUSL Toastmasters Club (P)

''When She Leads'' - Special Theme Meeting on Women Leaders

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18 Achievements & Recognition Club Achievements during the Toastmaster Year 2021/22 (Second Half)

DISTINGUISHED CLUB PROGRAMME

Home Club Division Director - Division H Mohamed Rifnaz, DTM

Member Achievements during the Toastmaster Year 2021/22 (Second Half)

LEVEL 04 TM Mahesha Manjarika, DL 4

LEVEL 03 Tharaka Amarasena, DTM, DL 3

LEVEL 02 TM Samanthi Sudarshani, IP 2

LEVEL 01 TM Sandun Thimira, SL 1 o

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TM Asanka Milroy, MS 4

Executive Committee - 2021/22

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: TM Sanjeewanie Ginigaddara sanjeewanieg@gmail.com Tel: 071 496 6008

VP Public Relations: TM Ama Shakya ama.shakya99@gmail.com Tel: 071 927 8809

PRESIDENT: Tharaka Amarasena, DTM tharaka@cse.lk Tel: 077 2258745

Secretary: TM Wasana Eashwara wasanaeashwara@gmail.com Tel: 071 244 7567

VP Education: TM Gamini Wijeratne wijeratnepg@gmail.com Tel: 071 647 0574

VP Membership: TM Samanthi Sudarshani samanthi261@gmail.com Tel: 071 072 0300

Treasurer: Sgt-at-Arms: TM Neville Dissanayake TM Sathan Kovintharasa nevilledisa@gmail.com sathankovintharasa@gmail.com Tel: 077 547 0465 Tel: 077 1116690

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTEST 2022 - AREA H1

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MEMBERS Onboard

EVENT CALENDAR

CLUB PATRON

Club Anniversary Celebration - June 2022

OVATION-2022 03-05 June 2022

Installation Ceremony

2022

Locate Us Club Mission 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.

Noorul Munawwara, DTM

Club Meetings Every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays From 5.15 PM onwards CSE Auditorium, 257/11, Main Street, Anuradhapura (Second Floor, Sarath Motors Building)

Find us on

/AnuradhapuraTMC