Speak To Lead

OF F I CI AL NEWSLETTER OF EXP OLANK A TOASTMASTERS CLU BÂ

SPEAK TO LEAD SEPTEMBER 2018 | VOLUME 07 |ISSUE 01

CLUB # 02302941 | aREA F2 | DIVISION f |DISTRICT 82

Featuring

TM RAMONA J. SMITH World Champion of Public Speaking 2018

Club Record of

DTM ZAIDH NAUSHARD

AND OUR VERY OWN TOASTMASTERS

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CONTENT Editorial Message

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President's Note

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Where Leaders Are Made

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Expolanka Toastmasters Club

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District Corner

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Division Corner & Area Corner

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An Interview with the Ladybug Speaker

Club Achievements

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Champions Night

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Get to know your Team

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New Member Corner

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Another Milestone

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Dates to Remember 21

09

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Compromise for your Dream, never Compromise on your Dream

Beauty Tips by DTM Gautam Sharma 23

Good Bye Champion

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An Interview with our very own, DTM Zaidh Naushard 26

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A Bridge for Meet-Ups

Do Get in Touch with Us

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EDITORIAL MESSAGE

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It gives me great pleasure to present the first newsletter on behalf of Expolanka Toastmasters Club for the Toastmasters year 2018/19. It has been a privilege for me to work with such an enthusiastic bunch of Toastmasters in our club who have been a real helping hand in making Speak to Lead, 1st issue of volume 7 a reality.

In this edition we are privileged by the opportunity to feature TM Ramona J. Smith, 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking who has helped further to strengthen the overall network of our club with all other Champions in the Toastmasters fraternity.We have the honor of featuring our very own DTM Zaidh Naushard for his outstanding record of consecutive attendance of Toastmaster meetings in our club along with many more exciting articles of our club members.

First I would like to thank the Executive Committee of our club for being behind me through thick and thin in completing the newsletter amidst their busy schedule at work. Subsequently I would to thank all the members in our club and outside the club who have helped me even through one single word for the successful completion of the newsletter. Without the support of all of you this would have been an impossible target for me to achieve.

As the Vice President of Public Relations and the editor of the newsletter I am honored to serve this edition to you and I sincerely hope that this edition of Speak to Lead would help you gain valuable and precious insights into the activities of the club and in some way contribute positively to your lives.

Last but not least, Expolanka Toastmasters Club is always open to listen to you and we are awaiting for your feedback on this.

Until then, enjoy reading!

By TM Sameera Dilhan Vice President Public Relations

"It has been a privilege for me to work with such an enthusiastic bunch of Toastmasters in our club who have been a real helping hand in the making Speak to Lead 1st issue of volume 7 a reality."

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

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What is Humility?

“The quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance.”

Expolanka Toastmasters Club is about embodying the spirit of Humility and Humbleness providing the opportunity for every member that walks in to explore and realize their true potential. Staying true to the words placed by our very own Mr Hanif Yusoof, “Turning Butterflies into Caterpillars”, these words that have been set in stone in the hearts of every member of Expolanka Toastmasters Club echoing in the speeches and awards won by this great club.

Taking up the Club after winning 10 of 10 DCP points, that won the Golden Gavel, club quality award and the best social media Presence for the term two is quite truly a bitter sweet feeling. This time the targeted educational Goals lead by the vice president Education TM Safiya, we are on the pursuit of 10DCP points and winning the prestigious golden gavel award. We intend to do so maintaining the supreme quality Expolanka Toastmasters Club is known to maintain. For the contests we have initiated contest oriented evaluations in which our immediate past president and the current Area Director TM Hisham Yasir would be providing constructive evaluations on a select group of members to make them contest ready to ensure that the speech and evaluation standards in the educational meetings are as it should be during the contest. To ensure quality education TM Safiya has scheduled for periodic key note lectures, the first of which was conducted on the very first meeting of the current Toastmaster year, 11th of July by DTM Gautam Sharma and TM Sriram Venkataraman from Chennai. To achieve all this while efficiently managing the seamless transition from the existing educational curriculum to the pathways curriculum is a challenge we look forward to tackle by effectively planning and managing member requirements.

TM Gazzaly Moulana the VP Memberships plan of ensuring the larger number of employees benefit from this great fraternity. Membership building plans include visiting the SBUs promoting the fraternity. For retention we look forward to build an effective line communication to ensure that the member requirements are met. TM Gazzaly also looks approach the members that have left the club on a personal level to ensure they re-join the club.

The Public relations team headed by TM Sameera Dilhan looks to continue the practices from last year that won Expolanka Toastmasters Club the best social media presence for term two. New initiatives include comprehensive PR coverage of projects covered by the club and our members and a membership drive within the group.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, We the new leaders of the club, not only hope to continue the great work of this club, WE PLAN TO WORK FOR IT!!

Where else could you get such an opportunity, only at Expolanka Toastmasters Club. So next time when you are asked “What is Humility” remember it is Expolanka Toastmasters Club.

By TM Ahmed Abdullah President

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WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE Who We Are Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Our organization has more than 357,000 memberships.

Members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 16,600 clubs in 143 countries that make up our global network of meeting locations.

The world needs leaders. Leaders head families, coach teams, run businesses and mentor others.

These leaders must not only accomplish, they must communicate. By regularly giving speeches, gaining feedback, leading teams and guiding others to achieve their goals in a supportive atmosphere, leaders emerge from the Toastmasters program.

Every Toastmasters journey begins with a single speech. During their journey, they learn to tell their stories. They listen and answer. They plan and lead.

They give feedback—and accept it. Through our community of learners, they find their path to leadership.

Core Values Integrity, Respect, Service, Excellence

Toastmasters International Mission We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.

District Mission We build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence.

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.

For more information visit: https://www.toastmasters.org/

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TM Ahmed Abdullah President mauroofa@expofreight.com

TM Safiya Ismail Vice President Education safiyai@expofreight.com

TM Gazzaly Moulana Vice President Membership gazzalym@expofreight.com

TM Sameera Dilhan Vice President Public Relations sameerad@expofreight.com

TMÂ Sharon Rodrigo Secretary sharonr@expofreight.com

TM Mohamed Mirzan Treasurer mmirzan@expolanka.com

TM Allan Paul Sergeant At Arms allanp@travelbridge,lk

DISTRICT CORNER

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District 82 has been ranked #1 among 105 Districts across the world, in terms of Distinguished clubs.

District 82 is also ranked #1 in the world with the highest numbers of clubs with 20 members or more.

The awards were presented at the Toastmasters International Convention in Chicago from August 22nd to 26th 2018.

Meanwhile, a new team has taken charge, with Chennai-based IT Consultant Distinguished Toastmaster Suganthi Periasamy at the helm, as Director of District 82, comprising over 270 Toastmasters clubs in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. She is one of the youngest and only the second lady to occupy the top position. A Banking Domain Consultant in Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Chennai, she has authored white papers on software innovations in the Payments space and has a patent to her credit in the field of Real-time Payments.

The Program Quality Director is TM Sarmaa Mahalingam, an MBA Graduate from University of Colombo and an Entrepreneur heading Pet Packaging Private limited that manufacture my Cola beverages and Cristal bottled drinking water. The Club Growth Director is DTM Noorul Munawwara, a Chartered Electrical Engineer working as Chief Engineer attached to Ceylon Electricity Board Central Province.

District 82 concluded the Toastmasters year on June 30, 2018 with 92.44% of the clubs achieving Distinguished status or more. District 82 chartered 45 new clubs across Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka during the last year. 1,657 new members joined the various clubs of the District, boosting membership to over 7,800 in 270 clubs. 22 of the members achieved the highest distinction namely “Distinguished Toastmaster” (DTM).

Spread across Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, D82 has over 270 clubs and over 7,800 members. “D82 has seen phenomenal growth over the past few years. The vision of the Trio this year is to promote Toastmasters to more corporates and communities, especially in secondary cities within Tamil Nadu and smaller towns in Sri Lanka”, says DTM Suganthi Periasamy. She believes that Corporate sector will benefit from Pathways, the new curriculum launched in May this year, which offers 300 skills in communication and leadership. Holistically rooted in work and career situations, Pathways is contemporary in every way, and integrates previously separate streams of communication and leadership into one, to create competent business executives.

The world leader in communication and leadership development, Toastmasters International has more than 352,000 members and 16,400 clubs in 141 countries. Toastmasters International has in the last 97 years, helped millions, to build communication and leadership skills through mutually supportive self-learning at own pace.

By DTM Thomas T Abraham Public Relations Manager District 82, Toastmasters International

DIVISIONCORNER CORNER DIVISION

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“Fidelity to Fulfillment” being the tag line of Division F, we have been able to create a fantastic opening for the division for the toastmasters year 2018/19. Starting with conducting a successful Officer Training Program on July 14th we were able to train most of the club officers representing many clubs within the division with the aim of giving them a good insight as to what toastmasters expects from their role in the club.

With a club base of 19 clubs as at now, our intention in the coming months is to spread the word toastmasters to many other pipeline clubs who are in need of getting them self trained and groomed with public speaking and leadership skills. However the main focus right now within the next quarter would be to conduct our division conference which will be held on the 9th of December 2018. It will be a conference experience like no other. Stay tuned as we will have an exciting key note speaker and details will be shared soon.

Until then, Happy Guessing!

DTM Zaidh Naushard Division F Director

AREA CORNER It my pleasure to write an article for Expolanka Toastmasters Club as the Area Director for F 2.

Union Assurance TMC, Amana Bank TMC, University of Colombo TMC, Incee cement TMC and Expolanka TMC comprises Area F 2.

Since most of the clubs are of a corporate nature my endeavor is to encourage members to add value to each of the entities through improving their selves to become better communicators and leaders. I believe that one person is all that it takes to make a change. Hence by enhancing one-person’s ability to think better, speak better, evaluate better and mentor better I believe the individual and the corporate will benefit from Toastmasters.

During the short course of time, we were able to revitalize clubs with the help of the previous area director Ms. Ganga Fernando to re-start meetings. It is truly amazing to see such clubs perform with great enthusiasm.

Around 30 officers were trained during the quarter and all clubs had 04 or more members trained. Club officer lists were updated on time for all clubs. As at date, Expolanka TMC leads the DCP table with 03 points followed

by Amana Bank TMC at 02 points. I noticed that the moments of Truth were conducted by many clubs with a spirit to learn and grow. Club installations of Expolanka TMC & Amana Bank TMC was done quite brilliantly and the rest are in the process of finalizing their big day. Expolanka TMC has also published the date for the club humorous & evaluation speech contest as 19th October 2018.

As the Area Director i encourage my clubs specially to go beyond the club limits as Toastmasters is not what happens merely inside a club. hence, I appreciate the efforts taken by TLI etc. in bringing toastmasters education more nearer to the member. This is a very good way to expand one’s network and other skills.

Finally, exciting times lie ahead for Division F and Area F 2 with the Area contest schedule in November and Division conference in December. Furthermore, a one-day outing focused on getting to know each other club officers better is in the pipe line for Area F 2.

Till next time, happy toastmastering!

TM Hisham Yasir Area F2 Director

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE LADYBUG SPEAKER, TM RAMONA J. SMITH

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Ramona J. Smith, the 31-year-old high-school teacher from Houston, outlasted more than 30,000 speakers from around the world over the six-month World Championship of Public Speaking competition, the largest of its kind. She and nine other finalists delivered speeches to a crowd of 2,000 in Chicago during the annual Toastmasters International Convention.

Ramona J. Smith made history in becoming the second African-American woman and 5th woman in winning the World Championship of Public Speaking since it began in 1938.

Today we have the honor of featuring her on the first edition of our newsletter in this Toastmaster year.

Q : Firstly “The Ladybug Speaker”, is there a story behind the Ladybug?

In 2008, my first Toastmasters Club president Amy Ayano advised me to brand myself. After researching a few animals, the ladybug intrigued me. Ever since then, I've called myself The Ladybug Speaker.

Q : The World Championship of Public Speaking at Chicago Convention 2018 was one of the best contests that we have witnessed. How do you feel after going through such a tough competition and becoming the winner?

I feel excited! It still feels surreal. I am looking forward to taking full advantage of this opportunity.

I've been speaking for over 8 years, now I have a platform that allows my brand to be exposed to the world.

"Be true to yourself. Don't try to imitate other speakers, be exactly who you are."

Q : Confidence plays a major role in any toastmasters’ journey. When did you first

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feel that you could go the distance?

In 2015, I was defeated at the District level of the International Speech contest. Taking that loss was tough. However, I had made it that far on my first attempt so I was confident that one day I would be the World Champion. After witnessing Mohammed Qahtani win in Las Vegas that same year, I was on a mission to grace the world stage in the future.

Q : For the first time in history three ladies were placed as first, second and third at WCOPS which had grabbed the attention of many. How do you feel being one of the ladies?

I feel legendary. I've left my mark on this planet. I've made history. It's a feeling of accomplishment and achievement.

Q : What do you think is the difference between a winning speech and an ordinary speech?

A winning speech is one that takes the audience on an emotional journey. The speaker must make a connection with the audience, entertain the audience, and leave them with a call to action. An ordinary speech is usually just to inform the audience about a topic.

Q : Apart from ‘Still Standing’ what other things do you believe to have contributed to your journey towards becoming the world champion?

Learning to have fun and live in the present moment. Learning to listen to and apply constructive criticism. And finally, trusting and believing in myself, and following my dreams.

"In 2015, I was defeated at the District level of the 11 International Speech contest. Taking that loss was tough.

However, I had made it that far on my first attempt so I was confident that one day I would be the World Champion."

Q : If you were to do it all again with the knowledge and experience you have today, what would you regard as your greatest ally and your greatest enemy?

Greatest ally is family and friends. Greatest enemy is self-doubt.

Q : When did you start your journey in toastmasters? You may have come across many challenges throughout this time. Anything remarkable that you can share with us.

I joined my first club in 2010. One challenge was consistency. I would stop going to club meetings for months at a time, and start and stop projects without following through. I just earned my CC after being with T.I. for 8 years.

Q : What does Toastmasters mean to you and what is your favorite session in a toastmasters meeting?

Toastmasters means leadership and communication. My favorite session in meetings is hearing the prepared speeches.

Q : Finally, what advice would you like to leave for the young toastmasters and aspiring champions especially for us at Expolanka Toastmasters Club?

Stay consistent in your club. Attend meetings often. Support your club members. Get involved with weekly roles and leadership. Be true to yourself. Don't try to imitate other speakers, BE EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE....

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CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS

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During the last six months here at Expolanka Toastmasters Club, we were able to achieve the Presidents Distinguished Club status awarded by the TMI for the 6th time in a row. Following with the prestigious Golden Gavel award + Club Quality award and the best social media presence - term 02 at the Ovations 2018.

Adding to the above TM Hisham Yasir and TM Safiya Ismail was also able to complete the ACB & CC respectively.

The latest addition to the membership achievements would be TM Suhitha Karunanyake completing his ACG level early this quarter.

Golden Gavel + Club Quality Award

Best Social Media Presence Award Term 02

TM Hisham Yasir ACB

TM Safiya Ismail CC

TM Suhitha Karunanayake ACG

CHAMPIONS NIGHT

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Champions Night: The 7th installation of Club officers of Expolanka Toastmasters Club held ceremoniously at the EFL Campus Auditorium, Wellampitiya on the 3rd of August 2018.

Gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest Mr. Hanif Yusoof Founder, Executive Director and CEO of Expolanka Holdings PLC, Distinguished Toastmaster Noorul Munawwara, Club Growth Director of District 82 graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor.

The Installation Ceremony themed Champions Night, was aimed at celebrating the champions produced by a club being among the very few clubs in Sri Lanka that have won the prestigious presidents distinguished club, awarded by Toastmasters International, 06 years in a row since chartered, other awards like Golden Gavel, Highest honor awarded by district 82. Producing Chief Judges, TLI Chairs, Super star area directors, distinguished toastmasters, Social media awards and Champion speakers.

Decorated with the awards won by Expolanka Toastmasters Club the evening consisted if installing of Club leaders, induction of new members inspiring speeches, entertainment lead by Toastmaster Allan and recognition of excellence in the presence of the members of the management of Expolanka group, Prominent Toastmasters, Past and present members of the club distinguished guests and the Family members of the Executive Committee.

The Immediate past president of the club and the director of Area 02 Division F, Toastmaster Hisham Yasir, to on the stage to run through the club achievement of the concluded year and encouraged the Executive committee of Expolanka Toastmasters Club and all the Executive committees to become people that lead that inspire action.

The Chief Guest Mr. Hanif Yusoof, thanked Yasir and the team for taking the club to great heights and wished the newly elected executive committee to sustain the club while inspiring the audience with his speech about his view on leadership, resilience, challenging the status quo and the norms of the society and urged the Toastmasters to not be contempt to explore the unknown territories.

The Club officers for the year 2018/19 were installed after a senior club member Toastmaster Darren Pullenayagam inducted 9 new members into the Club.

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The officers for the year 2018/19 installed by the Director Division F Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard.

President:- TM Ahmed Mauroof Vice President Education :- TM Safiya Ismail VP Membership: - TM Gazzaly Moulana VP Public Relations: - TM Sameera Dilhan Secretary: - TM Sharon Rodrigo Treasurer: - TM Mohamed Mirzan Sergeant at Arms : - TM Allan Paul Immediate Past President : - TM Hisham Yasir The newly elected president of the club, Toastmaster Ahmed Mauroof took the opportunity to thank everyone that has contributed the development of both the club and the members after recalling the transformation the past Toastmaster year has brought in him.

The newly elected office bearers then took on stage with an EC entertainment act lead by Toastmaster Allan and Toastmaster Sameera with a mashup of songs varying from English masterclasses to tamil classics to Sinhalese ‘’baila’’.

The Guest of Honor Distinguished Toastmaster Noorul Munawara spoke on the contribution of the Toastmasters fraternity to the development of individuals and the impact it has on the corporate structure to achieve its vision by empowering its members with a skill, energy and the positive attitude it bring into the organization. DTM Noorul Munawara also used the opportunity to thank the management of Expolanka for being the support behind the success of the club.

Toastmaster Safiya Ismail and Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard were awarded Triple crown awards for their excellence in performance completing 3 stages of the curriculum within the completed toastmaster year.

Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard was then recognized for attending a club record 138 meetings consecutively since the beginning of his journey as a Toastmaster in 2012.

The ‘Best Attendance of the Year’ for the year 2017/2018 was shared amongst 3 enthusiastic members of the club. Toastmasters Safiya Ismail, Ahmed Mauroof and Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard. Awarded for attending the highest number of meeting during the toastmaster year 2018/19.

Toastmaster Sharon Rodrigo the outgoing Vice President Education of EFL was awarded the ‘Best Toastmaster of the Year 2017/18’ award. During the year 2017/2018, Toastmaster Sharon Rodrigo helped the club achieve 10 out of 10 DCP points, Golden Gavel award and Club quality award for the excellence in education.

Toastmaster Sharon Rodrigo provided the vote of Thanks having chaired the installation embodying excellent organizing and creativity.

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM

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TM Ahmed Abdullah First time I met Ahmed and spoke to him was when he was a volunteer and was helping with behind the scene work for last year’s installation ceremony. This boy went above and beyond to support the team to make the event a tremendous success. It is such an amazing thing to see, how this one person that was in the control room during one installation ceremony, standing on stage taking the club over as the president of the club, the very next year.

In my experience Ahmed, has been the one to always say yes to any challenge, where he took the task of completing the CC’s within a short period of 6 months, as well as taking up the club as the president when the opportunity presented itself.

For your information Ahmed is a massive football fan, and he supports Barcelona as if his life depended on it.

In office you will see him bouncing around office with a massive smile on his face that extends from cheek to cheek, stopping almost at every single table talking to everyone that he passes.

He is an extremely humble and friendly personality that like to think that himself as “Notorious”.

Hope this enabled you to get to know our President, the Notorious Ahmed Mauroof.

TM Sharon Rodrigo

TM Safiya Ismail Determined, Has good follow up, Willingness to improve as a speaker, Best social media presence achieved for the second time for Expolanka Toastmasters Club.

TM Hisham Yasir

TM Gazzaly Moulana Amazing friend, Very dedicated and loyal, AKA as Mr. Dependable, Loves Toastmastering because of the opportunity to network and observe leadership skills, Good analytical skills when it comes to one on one speech training.

TM TM Hisham Hisham Yasir Yasir

TM Sameera Dilhan A dedicated achiever. I have the privilege of having him in my team at office and he always portrays the best version of himself. A man who has a clear path towards success. I always felt I can count on Sameera both at office and at toastmasters too and indeed he keeps beyond the expectations. Wishing him all the best as I see a future leader in making.

TM Hisham Yasir DTM Zaidh Naushard

TM Sharon Rodrigo My most annoying mentee, a best friend and we both mentor each other. A person whom I look upto, when I need advice. She is a person who goes that extra mile to achieve things and meticulous in planning. I am so happy to see her achieving greater heights in life and in toastmasters. Wishing her all the very best.

DTM Zaidh Naushard

TM Mohamed Mirzan Gets his work done. Unpredictable if I may say so, one incident that best portrayed him as a person was few days back when I sent a message in a group chat, everyone sends me thumbs up. he sends me a thumbs down. I call back to ask what’s wrong. He says “Nothing, everyone sent thumbs up, I thought why not thumbs down”.

TM Ahmed Abdullah

TM Allan Paul

Allan to me struck as a happy go lucky character. He is one person that you could call with a request and the guaranteed response that you would get is a “Ah, Yes, Can do”. He is also an amazing singer and the trademark look he has on when he is confused and that “whatever” expression the entire club has come to be very fond of. Amazing person to have around.

TM Ahmed Abdullah

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NEW MEMBER CORNER As someone who gets bored and fed up of everything quite easily, I was one who wouldn’t stick with any of the things I started with a passion even after dreaming about it for so long. Surprisingly this thing called toastmasters caught my attention to the extent I wanted to go sit at a meeting and experience what this is all about at the very first time I heard about it. Nevertheless in a corner of my mind I was also hesitant to join toastmasters given the fact that I get uninterested in which ever attempt I take to start something new.

# 147 Meeting - Toastquiz Winner

But I also knew and came in to the realisation that my public speaking and leadership skills need to be polished up to the extent that it would help me to grow up as a professional down the line keeping my end goal in my head. This is where I decided to give toastmasters a shot, which eventually took me in to my first meeting in March 2018.

As I walked into my first meeting, it was a pleasant surprise to find that all the members were friendly and welcoming which made me feel so comfortable and homely, and not a bit treated as a new member.

Throughout the months I kept on going for meetings , doing roles, interacting with people and I felt I was not only improving in public speaking but also in interpersonal communication. This kept me coming back for meetings week after week.

Further, I got the chance to interact with people from different backgrounds and listen to their stories and experiences which I think is amazing. Toastmasters had helped me open up my mind to view life from different perspectives. It had also taught me how to be confident in front of an audience and moreover, to be a good listener and a leader.

I still have a long way to go in the toastmaster’s journey and I believe this is just the beginning of reaching that goal.

re k a e p S sc ip o T e lb a T ts e B g n i t e e M 2 4 1 #

# 145 Meeting - Toastquiz Winner

TM Lasithi De Costa

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+2100 LIKES

+200 FOLLOWERS WE ARE MOVING FORWARD...

STAY TUNED FOR MORE!

ANOTHER MILESTONE

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"United we stand, Divided we fall."

An evening filled with glitter, humour and a lot of learning. The Expolanka Toastmasters celebrated another milestone of amazing moments and beautiful memories 'the 150th' which was a momentous and a magnanimous affair, dignifying it with the esteemed presence of dignitaries and the guests. The pond which has turned into a river now had its rains and droughts too. The charter members who were present to witness this occasion have also witnessed the ups and downs that this club went through, the club which was formed with limited funds and members had seen it's seeds being scattered all around the field inch by inch, without the hopes of survival and yet the charter members kept it aligned hands in hands within the boundaries of existence to let the seeds grow into trees and here we stand with the reaped fruits from the trees of that garden, celebrating another milestone together. The journey has definitely been tough but the ocean of faith had let it turn into a journey that got better and better with time as the saying goes 'the darkest night of storm is a promise towards a beautiful morning ahead'. Yes, it did take a thumping amount of time but we survived so far and are in no mood to slow down for the foreseeable future.

At the 150th, the guests and the toastmasters were welcomed with the provision of the badges as the token to acknowledge their presence at the 150th meeting of ExpoLanka Toastmasters. The conspicuous part of the day was the decoration which apparently were the bunches of memories seeded during the journey towards the 150th which was noteworthy and pleasant. The meeting commenced by the president TM Ahmed Mauroof introducing the dignitaries, the MD of Expolanka Mr. Saif Yusuf, the Immediate Past District Director DTM Ajantha Jayawardane and Past District Director DTM Yusuf Jeevunjee and the visitors for the day. Presence of these personalities justified the level of hard work put in by the members thus far to keep Expolanka Toastmasters live and ongoing and taking it to greater heights.

The charter members and the senior members played the roles for the day hinting a deja vu which was a convincing affair to spectate. Starting off with the round robin session, followed by prepared speech session, followed by a session to make the evening more engaging and table topics session. This definitely had wonderful speakers giving in incredible speeches and evaluators giving in the best of their evaluations. And then came the final moments of this graceful occasion. The president equipped these moments by inviting the visitors to comment about the day which was responded with a lot of positivity from all over the air as this undoubtedly was an occasion to celebrate and a moment to get hold of forever in the pages of the book of memories and in the heart of Expolanka Toastmasters club. It was a day that would be remembered for the years to come and it has been a pleasure to be a part of the crowd who witnessed the grace and to pen down the thoughts about this significant occasion.

Once a Toastmaster, forever a Toastmaster.

DATES TO REMEMBER

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Meeting # 151 : 26th September 2018 Meeting # 152 : 10th October 2018 Meeting # 153 : 19th October 2018 Club Humorous & Evaluation

Speech Contest : 31st October 2018

Meeting # 154 : 14th November 2018 Meeting # 155 : 28th November 2018 Meeting # 156 : 12th December 2018

Meeting # 157 : 19th December 2018

Get ready to win an exciting gift every month!

TOASTQUIZ Exclusively open for all staff members at Expolanka

COMPROMISE FOR YOUR DREAM, BUT NEVER COMPROMISE ON YOUR DREAM

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Imran Ahamed Khan Niazi is the current Prime minister of Pakistan. Born to an affluent Pashtun family from Lahore in 1952, He was educated at Atchison College Lahore and Kable College at Oxford University.

He became an inspiration to youngsters by venturing into cricket for Pakistan and credited for leading his team for being the first and only world cup winning captain in 1992 defeating England, thereby being termed as the most successful and prominent cricket captain of Pakistan. He rose to his popularity with his amazing talent as one of the finest fast bowlers and a great all-round cricketers Pakistan and the world has ever produced. He excelled not just in the cricketing arena, but also in the Social world as a prodigious philanthropist and vibrant politician.

He retired from international cricket in 1992 after the world cup win and established the Shaukhat Khanum memorial fund to build the first ever Cancer treatment center primarily that treats cancer patients free of charge. This remarkable achievement was initiated after he saw his mother’s painful death due to cancer. In his own words “The Hospital Tested my Belief in GOD to the limit & all the time kept strengthening it“. He was instrumental in bringing Bradford University in UK to setup Namal University in Pakistan with a vision of creating a knowledge city in the province for rural under privilege students in his constituency, this was the time when he was offered the chancellorship of the same university. He entered politics by forming his own party – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) to solve the injustice in Pakistan. The first time he failed to win the election. Thereafter subsequent times he gained popularity among the masses especially the youth. When inquired why he lost the reply he gave was “My voters are still young give them time” another notion he gave which is more exemplary is “it’s not the defeat that destroys you, It’s being demoralized by defeat that destroys you” these were the golden words which he believed and struggled for 22 years.

One of the astounding verses which applies to the modern day youth & masses who dreams to do something different is a verse which he always believe was “Compromise for your Dream, but never Compromise on your Dream” this made him to strive and struggle for a 22 year journey with once almost fronting death. Another wonderful saying of Imran is something that amuses me which takes as “You have Infinite Potential. Challenge yourself to see where you can go. If you don’t you will Decay”.

Therefore always challenge yourself in whatever you do but do not get demoralized from your defeat.

The reason for his success comparing to others was because he learned better on analyzing his mistakes and correcting them. Successful people are not those who do not make mistakes but who analyze the mistakes and eliminate them.

Finally with his enormous sacrifices made, he won the Cricket World Cup final by 22 Runs in 1992 and after 22 years of hardship he achieved the pinnacle of being the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan.

TM Afraz Hassan

BEAUTY TIPS

BY DTM GAUTAM SHARMA

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Proceeding on the vision of Expolanka Toastmasters club serving its members to enhance their communication and leadership skills has hosted a number of such events that combine fun, enjoyable and high spirited meeting atmosphere quality education exemplified by ‘Beauty tips’ – DTM Gautam Sharma, A motivational speech presentation was held on the 11th of July 2018, at the EFL campus Auditorium.

Distinguished Toastmaster Gautam Sharma and Toastmaster Sriram Venkataraman both from Chennai India graced the occasion as the resource persons.

DTM Gautam Sharma a software engineer by qualification a marketer by passion with immense love for the stage. DTM Gautam Sharma also a young entrepreneur, a public speaker and a champion Toastmaster in every sense of the word, winning once and being placed first runners up twice in the toastmasters district 82, comprising of Sri Lanka and South India. DTM Gautham Sharma Enlightened that gathering on what really makes you beautiful. And how to bring out that beautiful person within each individual.

DTM Gautam Sharma

TM Sriram Venkataraman a celebrated Toastmaster who has served as a Logistics chair for district conference. Mentored and coached a number of toastmasters clubs and the mentor of many Toastmasters in the district took on the stage next to share his journey as a Toastmaster to a person, when he joined Toastmasters that many said wouldn’t ever speak English’, to the absolute master in stage.

The event concluded DTM Gautam Sharma Picking the winner of the Guess and win contest. TM Hinston Lovell from Virtusa TM Sriram Venkataraman Toastmasters Club being selected as the winner followed by the token of appreciation being handed over to DTM Gautam Sharma and TM Sriram Venkataraman by EFL and Expolanka Toastmasters Club.

Beauty tips’ by DTM Gautam Sharma concluded with the standing Ovation from the knowledgeable crowd gathered and was followed by Expolanka Toastmasters clubs the first educational meeting of the year 2018/2019.

AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR VERY OWN, DTM ZAIDH NAUSHARD

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Attending 138 consecutive meetings is no easy feat. Our very own Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard was able to attend 138 meetings since he first set foot into the club in 2012.

We sat with Distinguished Toastmaster Zaidh Naushard for an insight through his exciting journey as a Toastmaster

Q : Attending 138 toastmaster meetings consecutively was a remarkable achievement and it hasn’t been done by anyone in the history of our club. Being in a corporate club how did you manage your time?

I always say “Make your vision, your Passion”. When you have a strong passion, you will somehow find time to do things. In my case, I always prioritize and Toastmasters was always a priority. I ensure I do not undertake any tasks on Club meeting days. Not only that, it is very important to have a family, friends, management and office colleagues that understand and respects your journey and support you whenever needed. I think I am lucky to be blessed with such.

Q : When did you get to know that you have made a record with your attendance in toastmaster meetings and how did you feel to achieve such a milestone?

Well, I still do not know whether it is an official record or not. Because in our District there are many many many silent heroes. But let me divert the thought, I always felt fulfilled, whenever I thought that I have committed for something I love. The only feeling is, it made me believe in myself because this is the only thing I have done with consistency.

Q : Out of those club meetings, what was the most memorable one for you and why?

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My most memorable club meeting was the meeting I played the role of TMOD at Pinnacle Advanced Toastmasters Club (my second club) under the theme “Sherlock Holmes”. The whole meeting was about solving a crime scene with around 45 participants and as far as we know, that was the very first time a Role player was recognized with a standing ovation.

I will never forget that moment.

At Expolanka, I will not forget the 07th Meeting of Expolanka TMC, which was my 3rd meeting and that’s the day I did my Ice Breaker. “That” was the day it all started!

“Make your vision, your Passion” Q : As a person who has many achievements at work and as well as toastmasters, what kind of advice you can give on work life balance?

That’s a tough one. Simply because it is not that easy to balance everything. As I have mentioned above, you also need to be a little blessed to have a great supportive Family, friends, management and colleagues who understands and appreciates your journey. My wife Zainab always encourages me to be the best version of myself and indeed she keeps me encouraging. It is the same reaction she gives on the days I go early as well as on the days I go very late at night. That support is very important.

I have a very reserved set of friends whom can be counted. It is because, those people are the one who always support me and understand my journey. They know my priorities and they respect it. On the other hand, the management of EFL, giving me opportunity after opportunity, made me an achiever. You will never find an organization who supports you such and sometimes they adjust their schedules to meet mine. That is why I said, you need to be blessed.

Q : How did missing the first meeting in almost 5 years feel like?

It was very sad. It was not about missing the very first meeting, it was about missing a Toastmasters meeting. It was part of me for exactly 6 years. On 9th May 2012 I attended the first meeting and on 9th May 2018, I missed a meeting. For 6 years, I always looked forward to Wednesdays. But unfortunately, this year I had to be overseas and there was no alternative. But I took it as a learning experience. Simply because it reminded me that “every good thing must come to an end – so be prepared to face any situation in life”.

Q : What is ‘Toastmasters’ to you?

“Toastmasters is a Lifestyle” – That sums it all.

Q : Tell us about your journey in toastmasters and your biggest achievement in toastmasters.

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As I mentioned, I started in 2012 May and it’s been 6+ years. Indeed it was a wonderful journey and there are many incidents. But what I consider the best is the day I became a DTM. Honestly it is the day I felt fulfillment of my journey and the next day it reminded me that it is a new beginning. When so many people look upto you, you need to ensure you live upto the standards what DTM portraits as a matter of respect to Toastmasters International and the value it holds.

Q : What is next for DTM Zaidh Naushard?

I want to continue my journey in the leadership track. My mission is to help everyone out even in the slightest way possible. So I like to visit every single club in Sri Lanka to experience their meetings and learn something new every day.

Q : Finally what is the message that you would like to leave for all of us, toastmasters and non-toastmasters?

As I always say, if you have a dream in your life, no matter how hard it seems to be, make a strong commitment that you will achieve it. Make your dream the Vision of your life, then convert your vision into your passion. Rest will fall in place. If I can achieve many things today, there is nothing that prevent you from achieving what you want in life!

"If I can achieve many things today, there is nothing that prevent you from achieving what you want in life!"

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GOOD BYE

C H A M P

"Darren the Dwarf of Expo is one who lives amongst the kin of travelers. As the name implies he is short but when the War cry of battle tolls. He bears arms to help you even in the most dire of situations. He protects and is the first to help his brethren. Big or small he definitely protects them all.

A kid with a BIG HEART. He has been my longest mate for over 12 years and will continue to be there as the dwarf to this giant. Loads of heart bud and wish you all the best! :) Got your back no matter what!"

- Gadjen Suryakumar

"I know him when he was the test speaker for the evaluation contest at our club, then itself i realized he had a very good potential in humorous speaking ability.

Then later he was a contestant at the division level. He is an inspiration for the people who are preparing for humorous speech contest. As a person he's a humble & helpful person.he has helped me in many means starting from preparing for a contest.

Specialty : Can get the attention towards him in short span of time ( even though the crowd is new to him).

Overall - A person you can look up to."

- Skanderaj Muthuswamy

"Powerful Words, Great Strategies and Humor...

These are few words that describe our Darry Aka NBST (Name, Blackness, Shortness and Teeth) in his own terms. This guy is made out of something from outer space because he can smile through any worst situation and make everyone else laugh. When life gives him lemons, he will look for Tequila and Salt. No matter what happens, he keeps on pushing and never gives up Hope. He sees the best in everyone and he has a GIANT HEART. A Great Friend and a True Leader.

May you find the path which sets your heart on fire and be fearless to pursue it.

Because my dear, you are destined for GREATNESS. God bless you From your biggest fan."

- Nadeeshya Nukulasooriya

"It was not so long ago that I first met Darren. We were not immediately friends, but over the course of time we've done so many things in and out of Toastmasters that has made a bond between us as good friends. Most of the time Darren is in a fun mood, but when he is serious, he surely can drive the message across. He is the mighty chaos knight.."

- Hafiz Saleem

"Darren was the humorist in our club and he will be missed.

Where ever he moves on to, I wish him well and hope that he continues to remain with Toastmasters, as I believe it brought about the best in him. Good luck Darren!!"

- Scerena Dirckze

"It was great getting to know you as a member at Expolanka Toastmasters Club. I wish you all the best for your future. Hope you will continue Toastmasters and reach great heights you aspire to be. Cheers !!!!"

- Buddhima Subasinghe

"There were very few who I wanted to be like. In terms of public speaking, TM Darren was honestly just an icon when me (and Fareed) joined ETMC. He was the most humorous dude we had ever seen as a communicator. His expressions, body language and content were just hilarious.

I commend him so much for not giving up on us and on the club, because it is also his endurance that the club survived quite a challenging period.

I often call him the ‘father of two’. Under his leadership was when me and Usman reached the pinnacle of contesting. A keen supporter of my Toastmasters journey giving me guidance at many occasions.

Truly sad to see Darren leave as I always felt as he is ‘one of us’.

Lastly, I credit him for his sincere devotion in helping our members transform from caterpillars in to butterflies.

All the best Darren! You will be missed Man!" - Hisham Yasir

"Good colleagues are the kind of people you can rely on, generally get along with, share a joke or two, and ask for help even if it is not related to toastmasters.

You're definitely all of these things. I'm sure that the commitment you gave to bring Expolanka toastmasters in another level is a good example to all the members!! All the very best for your future endeavors!!

God Bless!"

- Gazzaly Moulana

"Darren to me has always been a man of few words, his request has been direct and his concerns have always been in the best interest of the person concerned, this funny yet serious Daren is where he always wants what’s best for you, just the way he desires for him self, but would never be negatively selfish. I wish Darren all the very Best, keep up “Living the Dream” - Shuhaib Ali

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A BRIDGE FOR MEET-UPS Zig Ziglar a famous motivational speaker and a sales person once said,

“You don’t build a business, you build people and then people build the business” However today’s so called modern and technological era has left employees less time to interact with each other where technology has even brought work from office to home. In an environment like this employees tend to find themselves enrolled in activities that are interesting apart from work. These activities if organized by the company itself will give a chance for the employees to get in touch in a personal level and also to get introduced to people working in departments across the company. The contacts you make through professional clubs like toastmasters gives a lead to your career. My personal favorite time of Toastmasters is the time we spent after meetings bonding and giving time to each other to know about themselves.

The Expolanka Toastmasters club is formed adding all SBU’s under the Expolanka Holdings PLC, where there is an active participation from companies that under the Expolanka umbrella. In my personal experience Toastmasters has given me the opportunity to connect with people working under different companies within the group. There were companies which were formed recently within the group where I realized that the company existed since I was able to meet a dynamic individual from a company as such who went on to become the serjeant-at-arms.

The contacts and the connections you make at Toastmasters gives the opportunity to work closely with employees within your holdings company since we all get connected at some point within our pipeline.

For Example the logistics arm of Expolanka constantly depends on the IT arm for new solutions while it also depends on the Travel Agent arm for foreign tours, therefore bonding with employees within these company at a personal level will indeed help the career of person.

There is also another important aspect when you connect with others in your field but outside your industry (for example, a marketing manager in an Travel Agent business who starts networking with a Marketing Manager in a Logistics business) you can identify best practices and other effective techniques that translate into great tactics for your on-the-job challenges.

Any company’s performance will be based on its employees. And I have seen toastmasters as an ideal bridge to reduce the gap within employees and to make the bond within them much stronger. I personally think that toastmasters can be used as a tool by large companies to make employees more united.

TM Nisal Wijeratne

VISITORS REMARKS DTM Balraj said, it is easy to speak to an unknown audience but, it is very difficult to speak when your friends and family is in the audience. Today i had my beloved friends in the hall and yet I was comfortable because Explanation made me feel comfortable. You are people with whom i have been to movies and shopping malls close ones, yet i was comfortable. I was flooded by your hospitality right from the gate, by the security till the end of the meeting. The professionalism was extremely high. You guys are truly living up to the values of toastmasters. Respect, integrity,service , excellence. All the very best to your club. Reach greater heights and still remain the lovely people you are. Because its people like you who make toastmasters enjoyable. You are beautiful.

Loads of love, Gautam Sharma

Great meeting to see most of the charter members who had left the company. also it was a very entertaining meeting.

Congratulations!

DTM Ajantha Jayawardane

It was great to attend your wonderful/friendly and energetic meeting. It felt like home. All the very best Expolanka toastmasters club.

TM Dilan Joseph

Great meeting and great company! Looking forward to come once again.

TM Chathushika Wijeysinghe

Amazing and Fantastic! The progression and the achievements are great. Wishing you all the best!

Sahan Jayasinghe

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DO GET IN TOUCH WITH US...

Meet us every 2nd and 4th Wednesday From 06 Pm onwards, at Expolanka Holdings, 15A Clifford Avenue, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka Follow us on , expolanka_toastmasters Expolanka_TMC Expolanka Toastmasters E mail us on : toastmasters@expolanka.com Call us on, Ahmed Abdullah : +94750507272 Sharon Rodrigo : +94777538999

"It's always so great to see you, Lets keep in touch"

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EXPOLANKA TOASTMASTERS CLUB TRANSFORMING CATERPILLARS IN TO BUTTERFLIES, ONE ROLE AT A TIME!