Kandy Toastmasters Club Newsletter - April 2023

TOASTMASTERS INTRODUCTION

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders

DISTRICT 82 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

TOASTMASTERS

INTEGRAL CORE VALUES

Integrity Respect Service Excellence

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

ENVISIONED FUTURE VALUES

To be the first choice provider of dynamic, high value, experimental, communication and Leadership skills development

Transform is a newsletter published by the Kandy Toastmasters Club, Sri Lanka. This newsletter is intended for the external circulation among the members of Kandy toastmasters club and to promote the ideas and goals of can Toastmasters International. The editors do not take responsibility for the authenticity or opinion of the articles published. Toastmasters International and its logos are trademarks registered in the USA, Canada and many other countries.

CLUB INTRODUCTION

AREA

We meet every 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month.

5 30 PM ~ Physical meetings (venue is updated on social media)

TM Yoosuf (VP Education) +94765353441

TM Hansani (VP Public Relations) +94777203659

TM Methsiri (VP Membership) +94702341421

Editors :

TM Hansani Kularatne

TM Yoosuf Zuhry

Thrilling Journey of My Presidency

BecomingPresidentofKandyToastmasterswasneverinmybucketlistasIfeltIcouldnever fitintotheshoesofmypredecessorsnorcouldIeverreachthehighstandardstheyhadsetfor theClub.

Itwasahugechallengetotakeupthismantleduringtheenergycrisis,membershadvarious timesofpower-cuts;andonebyone,theywentoffthescreenbeforetheendofthemeeting.

Theysay,‘Itdoesn’train-Itpours!’Theeconomiccrisissetinandthedollarratesshotupnot twicebutthreetimes-thusmakingitverydifficultformemberstocontinuetheirmembership. Wetoldprospectivemembershowrewardingitwastobeatoastmaster,butthepaymenthas to come from their pockets that definitely had a hole somewhere! Something that Einstein mentionedwasringinginmyears,“It’snotthatI’msosmart,it’sjustthatIstaywithproblems longer.”

So,wheredowestandasaPrestigiousClubwiththehistoryofthefirsteveroutstationclub?

Wefocussedonhavingqualitymeetingsevenifwecouldnotchaseafter‘’DCP’’points.Ithank themembersandourEXCOwhowereabletorisetothesituation.Onlinemeetingsmeantthat wecouldhaverole-playerswhowerenotinourpowercutarea.Agendachangedaccordingto powercutschedules.Weinvitedotherclubstotakeuprolesandinvitedguestspeakers.

TMKamalaRasheed

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Wewelcomedtheprocessofchangingtoin-personmeetingsinOctoberlastyear.We njoyedthemeetingandfellowshipafteralonglapse.Yetournumbershaddwindled.The meetingswent"Hybrid"toincludejointmeetingsandalsohavetheparticipationofrole players.Our"techsavvy"youngmemberswerewonderfulbybringingtheirown equipmenttoorganizetheaudioandvideotoarrangethesemeetings.

Wefocussedonlyonhavingqualitymeetings,ignoringthepointchartsandpersonallyIfeltthat Imayhaveletonesidedown;because,inDecemberwehadamere3pointsonthechart! Judgingbythecamaraderieandthelaughter,wehadveryinterestingandqualitymeetings. Afteralongspell,IcheckedonthepointschartasourVPEDsaidwearenotdoingsobadly–NINEPOINTS!Whendidthishappen?

Ithappenedwhenweconcentratedonhavingqualitymeetings;whenwedecidedupongiving ourbesttotheClubmeetings;whenweacceptedthechange,willingtotakeupanychallenge!

Reachingthislevelduringacrisisyearisthe‘’GoldenGavel’’IreceivedasPresidentofthis wonderfulToastmastersClub;AsMartinLutherKingJr.said,“Ourverysurvivaldependsonour abilitytostayawake,toadjusttonewideas,toremain change.”

WaytogoKandyToastmasters!

Editors

Greetings Tostmasters,

It is our pleasure to welcome you to the latest edition of our Toastmasters Club Newsletter. We are thrilled to report that our club has continued to flourish and grow, with new members joining. Our meetings have been packed with excitement and energy, as our members continue to hone their public speaking and leadership skills.

e have a number of exciting We enco ake adv t Toastm enjoy re

FIRST OUTSTATION CLUB IN SRI LANKA

PRESIDENT’S DISTINGUISHED CLUB

SMEDLEY AWARD SELECT DISTINGUISHED CLUB

DISTINGUISHED CLUB

Anyspeechthataddsvaluetoevena singleaudiencememberisawinning speech.

Thatsaid,mostchampionspeeches havethreeelementsworkingforthem –aserviceintention,anempathic message,andanemotionaljourney. Everygreatspeechisdeliveredtoserve theaudienceandhelpthembenefit. Greatspeakersspeaknottobeheard buttobefelt.Theyconnectwiththe audiencewithanempatheticmessage whichresonateswiththeaudience’s ownexperiences.Winningspeeches takeaudiencesonanemotional journey.Awillingnesstobevulnerable isnecessaryforanyspeakerwho wantstoinspireandinfluencehearts andminds.

Writingawinningspeechisnot difficultunlessyouarewritingitonly towin!

Craft a Winning Speech: Secrets Revealed!

Craft a Winning Speech: Secrets Revealed!

Ibelieveawinningspeechcannotbe written.Itmustberewritten

Oncethefirstversionofth ready,it’salwaysgoodtod feedback,refineitanddeli Whenthisprocessisrepea fewtimes,wecangetclose winningspeech.Rewriting makeourcontentstronger connectiondeeperandde whicharetheingredientso speech.Allofushavegrea usandwhenwekeeprewr cancraftawinningspeech

Ask

the expert!

What is an iconic quality of a great leader?

Theiconicleaderwillpossessseveralqualities, includingToastmasters'corevaluessuchas Integrity,Respect,Service,andExcellence.I believethatIntegritywillplaythemost prominentrole,alongwiththeabilitytoconnect withtheteaminanysituation.Aleaderwho givesthehighestprioritytothesequalitieswill undoubtedlyshineasaniconicleader.

What's a key element of effective communication?

ThekeyelementofeffectivecommunicationIthinkistoalways speakfromtheheart.ThebestofIoftenbroughtoutwhenwe speak from within and when we do i think it makes all the difference.

Speaking from the heart enables one to be honest to express themselvesclearlyandspeakwithemotion

DTM Noorul Munawwara

Ask an experienced toastmaster

TM Shaakya Nathavitharana

Ask an experienced toastmaster

How do you deliver a succesful speech?

When it comes to delivering a successful speech, there areseveralkeyfactorstoconsider.Firstly,itisimportant tolearnaboutyouraudience,tailoringyourmessageto their interests and needs. Practicing with others and getting feedback can help fine-tune your speech and make necessary adjustments. Living with your speech until you have mastered it, rehearsing multiple times until you are confident in your delivery, is crucial. Enjoying your speech and delivering it confidently will helpengageyouraudience.Usingstoriesisaneffective way to connect with your audience and make your speech more relatable. Similarly, using appropriate humor can help break the ice and make the audience morereceptivetoyourmessage.

Finally, the key to a successful speech is practice, practice,andmorepractice.Themoreyoupractice,the more comfortable and confident you will become in yourdelivery.

TM Methsiri Herath

Unleash

DearToastmasters.

I read an interesting article recently about toastmasters,andIthoughttosharesomeimportant ideas with you all as it is much relevant to all of us. Being part of a Toastmasters club is such a great experienceformembersofallages.It’sagreatwayto learn new things, meet new people, and ultimately, RELAX.Herearefivebenefitsofjoiningatoastmasters club other than improving the communication skills andtheleadershipskills.

1. Meeting new People.

Usually, the people you meet are easy to get along with because you both have something in common: your interest in the club. Many clubs have monthly meetingsormeetafewtimesamonth,meaningthat you spend a large amount of time with other members.Often,frommyexperience,membersofthe clubbecomegoodfriendswitheachother.

2. Learning new skills.

Allthemembersofaclubmakeacommitmenttothe society,everyonehasajobtodo.Yourworkmightbe something that you’re already great or it might be somethingthatyoudon’thavemuchexperiencewith. Thereisstillsomethingtolearneitherway.Ilearneda lotabouthowtointeractwithotherpeopleandtrust them. Some basic skills were also learnt that can be usedlateroninlife.

3. Getting better at time management

Theamountoftimeyoudevotetoyourtoastmastersclubvaries,butthereisalways timeyoumayhavetofitintoyourbusyschedule.Theideaofjoiningaclubmayseem overwhelming, between work, school, friends, family, and other commitments. However,itisalsoveryfeasibletojoinaclubwithstrongtimemanagementandstill havetimeforeverythingelse.Untilyougetusedtoyourroleintheclubandfigureout howmuchtimeyouneedtoputintoit,youwouldhavefoundthatthereisstillenough timeleftoverforanythingelsethatneedstobedonedaily.Thisskill,alsohelpswith timemanagementwhenappliedtostudytimetables.

4. Experience for the future

Things that will assist you in the future are learning new skills and dev time management. The unique skills you learn will not only allow you t

Public speaking, but will also look fantastic on a resume if you join a similartothecareeryouwanttopursue!Ifyouweretobealawyer,fore wouldbegratefulforthepracticeyougotfrombeingpartofyourToastm Astheysay,teamworkmakesthedreamwork.

5. Improving Confidence

JoiningaToastmasterclubrequirescourage.You’renotsureifyou’regoi you’re going to get along with other members, if your position in the along with other concerns, is going to be good. Though you will soo because of a shared interest, you blend in and get along with other m moreyoupracticeyourclubfunction,thebetteryou’regoingtobeatit.N moretimeyouspendinaclub,themoreyou’llberelaxedandconfident. timesIjoinedmyclub,Iwasreallynervous,butitgetssimplereverytim encounter the advantages mentioned above and many more if you h aboutjoiningatoastmastersclub.

Why have you joined toastmasters?

Toastmaster Dulina Herath

WhatgotmeinterestedinToastmasterswasmainlytherising standardsinmanywhitecollarjobmarkets,andhowtheyrequireda diverserangeofskillstoemployyou.RealisingIcouldn'tjustsitina corner,getmyworkdone,andgohomeanymore,Ifinallydecidedto workonmysocialskillsandpublicspeaking.Additionally,Igenerally wantedtogetbetteratsocialisation,notonlyforemploymentreasons, butforinterpersonalandintrapersonalreasonstoo.Toastmasterswill beinstrumentaltowardstheseends.

WhileI'mquiteconfidentinspeakinginEnglish,thisbecomesan entirelydifferentequationwhenyouaddanaudiencetothemix.Not onlythat,therearesocialintricaciesyoumightfinddifficulttograsp, startingfromhowfirmyourhandshakecanbe,tohowtomaintaineye contact.PolishingthosetraitsarewhatIhopetoachieveinmy Toastmastersjourney.Well,thatorhangingoutwithsomeawesome people,I'mnotpicky.

Toastmaster Ravindu Ranthilaka

Why have you joined toastmasters?

Toastmaster Lasanthi Nugawela

.IamaMontessoripreschoolteacherincanadaandinsrilanka.Atpresentan artistinkandy.Andwasasubstituteteacherincanada.Ididjointhe toastmastersincanadawhichwasveryinterestingandalsowasinthevice presidentoftheclubandalsotookrolesasthegrammarianandtimer,and thendecidedtojoinatoastmasters clubinsrilanka.MygoalsIwouldexpect toachieve fromtoastmastersisto helphaveconfidenceinmyselfwhen speakinginpublic,getfeedbackinwhatevertopicIchooseorchosen and meetpeopleetc.MyhobbiesareIloveart music,helpingotherswiththeir english,travellingetc

New members' experience

It'sonlybeenafewmonths,thatI'vejoined ToastmastersandI'malreadyseeingtheimpactithas onmylifeoutsideofToastmasters.Everyexperience, withintoastmastersischallengingandurgesmeto broadenmycomfortzone,withinandoutsideof Toastmasters.

Theeventthattrulyputmyconfidenceintoquestion istheTabletopicssession.I'vewithheldmy opportunitiesduringthefirstfewmeetings,when calledupontodeliveranimpromptuspeech.Butsoon realized,thatitsignifiesmylackofconfidenceor perhapsmyself-esteem.Lateron,Idecidedtotakeup theopenopportunityandchallengemyself.

Thoughmyspeechdidn'tmakemuchsense,Ifigured thatwhatwithheldmemostly,wasmyfearinnot wantingtomakeafooloutofmyself.However,every toastmasters'wereveryencouragingandsupportive, anddidn'tnotlaughaboutmyincompetence.

Thatgavemeconfidenceandanopportunitytogrow andexpandmyspeakingskills,andconfidence,within theircircleofunlimitedpersonalgrowth.

-ToastmasterZainabNisthar

Ithoughtofjoiningtoastmasterstodevelopmypublic speakingskillsandtohaveleadershipexperiences.Idid lacktheconfidencetocomeuponstageandspeak.But afterjoiningtoastmastersasamemberIrealizeditis morethanthat.Bytwovisits,Idiscoveredmuch,much more.Ifoundanenvironmenttomeetpeople.

Ihavemetwonderfulmembers.Ireceivealotof supportandencouragementfromothermembers.It feelssafetotakerisksandpushmyselftootherlevels becauseofthissupport.Theskillsyoulearnat toastmastersarelifechanging.Thelearning opportunitiesareendless.

Thereisastructuredlearningenvironmentbasedon pathwaystofollow.Iamimpressedbyseeingthatevery meetingwasscheduledontime,wellstructuredand organized.IenjoyeverytoastmastersclubmeetingI attendThereisalwayssomethingtolearn.Notonly fromthepreparedspeechesbutalsofromtherole playershowthewayyoupresentittothemembers .WhenIwasgivingmyicebreakerspeechialsowent nervous.ButIgotencouragedbytheapplauseof memberstostepupforanotherchallenge.

Youronlylimitisyourmind.Ifyouseekforyourgoal youcouldseetherearemoreopportunitiesinyourlife. SoJoinToastmastersandgaintheexperienceitwill changeyourlife.

-ToastmasterHelminiNawaratne

TH I S T E R M S O F A R . . . . .

December 27th Christmas themed meeting.

January 31st Installation Ceremony of Kandy Toastmasters Club

February 14th Valentine's Day themed meeting

March 14th Club contest

March 28th Area Director's visit

KANDY TOASTMASTERS CLUB

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