The Awakener Volume 10- Issue 01

CLUB VISION CLUB VISION

”Striving towards excellence in public speaking skills whilst creating quality leaders by providing a conducive environment to realise the dreams and hopes of members.”

CLUB MISSION CLUB MISSION

”We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in confidence and personal growth.”

WHO ARE WE WHO ARE WE

Awakening Toastmasters is a community club. We are a diverse group of people, consisting of professionals, doctors, lawyers, IT specialists , artists and entrepreneurs who share the common goal of improving public speaking and leadership skills.

TM NAJEEB SAHEEL PRESIDENT

TM ISHFAAQ UVAIM CHIEF EDITOR

DTM MUHAMMED SHEIKH AHMED AWAKENING TOASTMASTERS

Here is another great opportunity to Awaken your mind! ‘The Awakening Quiz” ! The Awakening Quiz is designed to test your knowledge on Toastmasters as well as Formula 1, a motorsport that we draw a lot of inspiration from !

TM MUHAMMED SAEED

QUIZ MASTER AWAKENING TOASTMASTERS

Instructions:

Take the quiz, Test your knowledge, Broaden your horizon!

Take your phones out and scan the QR code below. ( You can use Google image search or any other QR reading software) Click on the URL that comes up, you will be directed to The Awakening Quiz page on our website. Enter your details and try the Quiz! Submit your entry. You will then be presented with your score and the correct answers If you get any wrong ! So whip out your phone and start scanning!!

TM AMMAR JAWFER DEHIWALA TOASTMASTERS

Dear Awakeners,

It's always a pleasure to come back to your club as you radiate abundant energy of Toastmasters!

Dear Awakeners,

It was a pleasure to be part of this installation. Each year the level of the club and the installation goes up. Keep up the great work.

DTM Balraj Arunasalam, Past President of Toastmasters International

Golden Words Inscribed on our Guestbook at our 9th Installation ceremony

DTM Nisal Weerakoon District Director District 82

Nov 2022 Debate Contest

Nov 2022 Themed meeting Nov 2022 Joint meeting with Dehiwala TM

Sep 2022 Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest

TM SAFWAAN HUSAIN AWAKENING TOASTMASTERS

One by one the cars roll into their designated slots. Every bit of preparation and planning ends here The tires are heated up, the right foot is on the gas pedal, the engines are revving, eyes on the starting light! This newsletter also depicts such a moment, where all our planning and preparation needs to now be executed, the race is about to begin ! The starting grid of a Formula One race is where the cars line up in their starting order, the drivers have completed their warm up lap, and now, they roll into their slot in the grid The driver with the fastest lap time in the qualifying round is at the pole position or is placed as the first car on the grid.

The new Executive committee of Awakening Toastmasters are fortunate enough to find themselves in pole position, as the Platinum Club of District 82 Thanks for this goes to all the hard work done by the outgoing executive committee and the multiple committees before them. Now the challenge would be for the incoming committee to maintain the pace, keep mistakes to a minimum and bring the car home in 1st place However, that’s easier said than done!

As the lights go green, all the engines spring into high RPM and accelerate towards the first corner. This is one of the most crucial phases of the journey, as all cars set off for the first time in the race, the chances of mistakes or crashing into each other are at the highest Similarly, the first 3 months are the most crucial period for a new executive committee The committee needs to get used to working together with a fresh team, the extensive support extended by the Toastmasters fraternity such as the training sessions, become very useful at this important stage.

The race itself is not about speed, it’s about endurance. There will be many twists and turns, many dips, and bumps on the way There will be phases in the race when you must put the pedal to the metal and go at full speed There will be times when you need to lay off the gas to maintain the grip on the tires One of the most crucial phases being the pit stop when you stop over to change into a fresh set of tires and refuel. At each of these phases, the driver and the rest of the team must work as one.

Decisions need to be made on the fly, strategies and ideas need to be formulated and tried out in the blink of an eye So let us all buckle up and enjoy the race!

Some say, it's about the journey and not the results, whereas others keep a keen eye on the finish line and their opponents At the end of the day, we all need to learn from the mistakes we make along the way, and the fastest ones to correct themselves are the true winners!

TM INSAF AHMED

AWAKENING TOASTMASTERS

"A Winner never stops trying."

-

Tom Landry -

A cool sunday morning after a perfect cappuccino, you are dressed up neatly in your suit and you close your eyes for a moment and picture some electrifying contestants rocking on a big stage Isn't it one of the best feelings?

You are there.! The Mid Year Division Conference of Division C was held on the 20th November 2022 at the Centre for Banking Studies. This Conference brought together Division C and E for the Humorous and Evaluation Contests.

Firstly, 8 Contestants from Division C took to the stage sharing great humor and pun which was then followed by the Division E Humorous contestants where some highly hilarious speeches were delivered. This is when I realized that having a balance between subtle humor and calculated seriousness is a seriously good combination!

A break thereafter was lined up to grab two things 1

An opportunity to chat with the Humorous Contestants.!

2.

To grab your sumptuous lunch from the lounge :)

As the call was made for all of us to re enter the conference halls, we heard a gutsy personality from Awakening Toastmasters with a mike on his hand playing with his vocals.

You guessed it right. The Entertainer ready for the Entertainment. It was TM Rifdhan showcasing his beatboxing talents. It was simply an exquisite performance. Then it was time for some critical evaluations The Division C with 8 evaluators were proving their skills providing effective evaluations which was then followed by Division E with some edifying and educational instructions to the speaker. Feedback is one of the most effective ways for us to learn, but how we give that feedback can make or break a speaker.! Our evaluators definitely demonstrated to us, how it needs to be done. From the perspective of the club, TM Fairooz Marikar from Awakening Toastmasters was adjudged as the 2nd Runner up of the Humorous Contest of Division C while yours truly, TM Insaf Ahamed from Awakening Toastmasters was placed the 2nd Runner up in the Evaluation Contest.

It was indeed a day full of laughter and an evening filled with valuable evaluations. In a nutshell, a day to never forget.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step I am glad that I've been with Awakening Toastmasters since the inception, now many miles passed with remarkable achievements for the club and individually. Down the memory lane, I rejoice the sweet memories I share with the forefathers of Awakening who laid the foundation strong and molded the club to what it is today After the fitness program being introduced, it is a complete transformation package to face future challenges which I am looking forward to

DTM Zameel Amjed

Awakening Toastmasters is where I found out I had humor within me! Before Awakening, no one had ever told or noticed that I had humor within me In this journey of 250 meetings, I have evolved as a better speaker and I have been able to become a more confident humorous speaker. The skills acquired at Awakening has also helped me in my day to day life as a lawyer. I am still in the process of becoming a speaker, and intend to grow with Awakening!

TM Fairooz Marikar

Achievements and milestones are times of celebration and the 250th Awakening session is indeed a momentous landmark in the Awakening journey As a Charter member who commenced on this journey of giving, gaining and growing, it gives me immense satisfaction to witness this special milestone. While the path has not been easy with ups and downs, we have had fresh faces, added perspectives and new champions who have enriched this journey Whilst being thankful for being a part of this ride for 250 sessions, I look forward to being a part of the Awakening journey for many more milestones to come

DTM Ishfaaq Uvaim

As a charter member, it gives me great pride to see our club reach such a milestone The times I spent in this club is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, with many unforgettable memories, and unbreakable friendships. From being a small club, to having joint meetings with other clubs, to receiving awards at this level, it’s truly mesmerizing to see how much our club has achieved I’d like to congratulate all my fellow Awakeners and Awakening Toastmasters on this milestone and wish the very best to achieve many more in the future!

TM Ikram Muhseen

TM AHAMED MIFLAL