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CAPRA NEWS - February 2017
THE HARROVIAN SPEAKERS CLUB
‘To provide a positive and supportive environment, in which members can have fun while challenging themselves to become better leaders and public speakers’- this is one of the core values that drives the Harrow Speakers Club. Under the presidency of Dr Jayanthiny Kangatharan, the Harrow Speakers Club has indeed achieved a lot as a club.
Since the new committee started leading the HSC in July 2016, it has continuously strived to provide the best learning environment for its members. After having been elected on 6th June 2016, the new club th
July 2016
that was Canons Hall. President Dr Jayanthiny Kangatharan is convinced of the positive impact that HSC membership can have on your public speaking skills: “I feel privileged to have earned the trust of the majority of Club members as speaker and leader after about more than a year of membership, and just having earned my Competent earned their vote to be elected club president. This goes on to show how much you can learn about and improve in becoming a good public speaker by being persistent with your efforts and by being consistent in attendance.” “When I became president, I had the vision of making the Harrow Speakers Club accessible and attractive to young people, as well as visible to locals by working closely touch with every member, from senior to the newest member.” Thus, the HSC organized many PR events to reach out to the local community and show how they can
example, on 6th September 2016, they appeared on local radio ‘Radio Harrow’ thanks to club Vicepresident of public relations, Jesus Parada, who works there as a volunteer. This opportunity helped the HSC publicize their upcoming events such as speech contests and the Mayor’s visit. Mentoring is one of the cornerstones at HWS, which helps new members upon joining as well as existent members with new tasks. Encouraged by her mentor, Dr. Jayanthiny Kangatharan, club member Sarda Hirani, for example, decided to chair a contest, which she had never done before.
On 21 September 2016, the HSC held their Humorous Speech and TableTopics Contest, chaired by Dr Jayanthiny Kangatharan and her mentee Sarda Hirani respectively. Sarda Hirani said about the experience: “The mentor guidance has been valuable for me as I was at a loss of what was required and the process was so smooth and structured that my basic understanding was vastly improved. Hence, in my role as a table topic chair I felt comfortable but anxious as the switching of contestants was passing fast! My mentor’s hints and prompts on the day help me go through.” st
Apart from helping develop members’ skills, the HSC celebrates members’ achievements as well. On 5th October club Vice-president of membership Amparo Villamil, who has Parkinson’s, received the Competent Communicator award from the Mayor of Harrow, Rekha Shah, who was one of the special guests, alongside the Harrovian Parkinson’s charity chairman Raymond Turner. Surprise guest Amparo’s mentor Kavita Dulai from Watford Speakers gave a speech to praise Amparo’s achievement.
Afterwards, Rekha Shah spoke about how public speaking helped her with her career, while Raymond Turner told attendees about future charity activities. Similar to Rekha Shah and Raymond Turner, Amparo Villamil is a keen supporter of the charity. Thus, this special HSC meeting raised much-needed awareness of the work done by the charity, and its supporters. On 5th December 2016 the HSC celebrated their move into their new venue in St Lawrence Close, a move that was spearheaded by the president due to the club-friendliness of the venue. On 19th December, the Tales club contest, chaired by the Vicepresident of education Sushil Shah. looking forward to organising the following events until June when the next committee takes over: a workshop on productive meetings in February, contests in March and many guest speakers in April. The Harrovian Speakers Club therefore would like to invite you to come along and enjoy their meetings, at 7:30pm, St Lawrence Close, Edgware, HA8 6QS. We are looking forward to meeting you! Dr Jayanthiny Kangatharan
Maybe I will take up public speaking.