Minute with A Marketer

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Iamimmenselydelightedandprivilegedtosharemy thoughtsasthe14thPresidentoftheestimableMarketers ToastmastersClubinitsNovembernewsletterissue'Minute withaMarketer’.Firstly,IwouldliketothankTMAbdul Hafeel,theVicePresidentofPublicRelationsforbringingup thenewsletterbacktotheclubasitwasnotdoneforthe pastfewyears.MyteamandItooktheofficeonthe1stof June2022,whentheclubwasinagreatfinancialposition alongwithtwentymemberswhowereactivelyparticipating intheclubactivitieswhichwereallthankstotheprevious substantialleadership.

TM YASHODARA HEMACHANDRA (PRESIDENT)

Astheexcowhatweunderstoodattheverybeginningwasthatwhateverwearetargeting duringourtenureshouldbeincorporatedwiththediversepotentialsandcapabilitiesofour membersandtheextremelyfriendlyandsupportivecultureoftheMarketersToastmasters clubisthegreateststrengthwehavetoachievethosetargets.

‘IceandFire’whichitwasintendedtobringthetwoextremesofDiversityandUnitytogether wasthethemeofEXCO2022/23.WepromisedtoupholdthecorevaluesofToastmasters Internationalintegrity,respect,service,andexcellenceinallouractivitieswhileensuringthe developmentofmembersandthecluboverall.

Attheinception,theEXCOandIassuredtoprovideasupportivelearningcultureforthe membersandmoreimportantly,wemadesurethatthemembersnotonlyimprovetheir communicationskillsbuttaketheleadershiproleinandoutoftheclublevel.Weareproudasa clubbecausemorethansixmembershavegonebeyondtheclublevelandtakenupleadership positionsinthearea,division,anddistrictlevelsandthishasmadeanimpact,especiallyonthe newmemberspositivelywhoarealsowillingtotaketheleadershiproleswithouthesitation.We havealwaystakenupthemaximumefforttomakeeverymeetinginterestingwithnewlearnings andthroughoutthelastsixmonths,wehaveconductedthemedmeetings,speechmarathons, andkeynotesessionstargetingthecontestsetc.Therewasgreatenthusiasmamongthe membersinparticipatingintheclubcontestsandourmemberscouldshowcasetheirtalentsat theareaanddivisionlevelswhileTMAyeshaRathnayakewasabletogetselectedforthedistrict levelintheEvaluationcontest.

BeingthePresidentofthisesteemedclubhasgivenmeagreatdealofconfidence,self worth, andself satisfaction,andeverydayisatremendouslearningexperienceforme.Itshowedme thatleadershipisn'taboutpositionsofpowerorcontrol,butratherhowyoumanageyour relationshipswithotherpeople.Weareappreciativeofpastpresidentsandalltheclubmembers whohaveputfaithonusonthisjourney.

TMAdamHussein-Secretary

CIM TO MTC

Belowistheextractoftheinterviewthathappened betweentheeditorandTMNadeeshaSIlvawhowas theclubpresidentduringthetransitionperiod.

Why was the decision taken to get the club independent? Who was involved in making the decision? And how the members' feedback was considered?

(A Transition journey)

TheCIMtoastmastersclubwascharteredtomeetthecommunicationdevelopmentoftheCIM students.ItwasfundedthroughtheCIMInstituteofSriLanka.However,CIMglobalhadsome concernsovertheCIMSriLankaofficeanddecidedtodiscontinuetheSriLankanoperation. Hence,thefundstocontinuetheCIMtoastmastersclubalsowasseized,andthecontinuation oftheclubbecameaproblem.

However, the member base of the club wanted to continue the journey as toastmasters andwantedtogrowasateamtogether.Duetothis,therewasarequirementtoconvert theclubtoacommunityclubandchangethenameoftheclubaccordingly.Therefore,the seniormembersoftheclubstarteddiscussionswiththeCIMinstitute,andthediscussions ranforafewmonths.

What were the challenges faced in getting the club independent, and how did you handle them?

ThefinaldiscussionswithCIMinstitutehappenedduringthefirstmonthofmytenureandthe biggestchallengewefacedwasgettingtheconsentoftheactiveclubmemberstoforman independentclub,shiftingawayfromCIM.Togettheinsightsofthemembersanextraordinary meetingwascalled,andallthemembersagreedtocontinuetheclubasacommunityclub, wherethememberswillself fundthecluboperations. Thoughitwasagreedtobeacommunityclub,theinitialfundingoftheclubwasanissueasCIM institutewasnolongersupportingthetoastmastersclub.Thentheclubresumeditsspeechcraft programswithoutsideinstitutesandcompanies.Thishelpedtogenerategoodincomeforthe clubaswellasanopportunityforclubmemberstodeveloptheirleadershipskills. Thenextchallengewastodecideonanamefortheclub.Attheextraordinarymeeting,the name“Marketers”wasproposedasmostofthemembersareformermembersofthemarketing institute.Hence,it’sagreedtocontinuetheclubasacommunityclubunderthenameof ‘MarketersToastmasters’.

(TM NADEESHA SILVA WITH TM YASHODARA HEMACHANDRA)

Theotherchallengewefacedwastointroduceandpromotetheclubas“Marketers Toastmasters”toattractnewmembersandcreateawareness.Wepromotedtheclubthrough Facebookpaidadsandothersocialmediaplatformstoreachpotentialmembers.Through these,wewereabletobringanewnametothecommunityandgainleadstogetnewmembers fortheclub.

How was the exco prepared for their first year without the endorsement from CIM?

The2020/21periodwasaturbulenttimeinSriLankaduetotheCovid 19pandemicand economicdownturn.Thesecondwaveofthepandemicaffectedthecountry,wherethe toastmasters’meetingshadtocontinueonline.Apartfromtheexternalmacro environmental issues,theclubhadtofacetheinternalnamechangeanddiscontinuationofCIMInstitute mattersaswell. Theexecutivecommitteewasawareofthechallengingyearandallofus plannedtheyearwellahead.Sincetherewerelimitedfundsthetreasuryfunctionwascarefully managed.Weconductedthespeechcraftprogramsandassuredthattheclubwillhavesufficient moneytocontinuethecurrentandfuturetoastmasters’years.

Thenextbigchallengecameintermsofthemembershipoftheclub,andwefocusedonhowto retainandattractmemberstotheclub.Theinitialmembershiptargetwasmainlytoretainthe currentmembershipandsecondlytoob Intermsofpublicrelations, makingtheclubpopularamong thecommunitywasachallenge.

Throughthepromotional campaign,wewereableto generateleadswholater becamemembersoftheclub. Thechallengeofthevice president'seducationwasto encouragethemembersto achievetheeducationalgoals.

(EXCO FOR THE YEAR 2020))

despitethechangesinthemanagementandchallengingcountrysituation.Eventhoughthe clubsailedthrougharoughsea,themembersactivelyparticipatedintheclubmeetingsand performedtheirrolesdiligently.

Thoughtheonlinemeetingplatformwaslessattractiveamongtoastmasters,wewereableto conductinteractivesessionstokeepthemembersengagedandmotivated.Intermsofthe president,mychallengewastokeeptheexecutivecommitteetogetheranddrivethemtoward achievingtheclub'sgoals. Allthemembersoftheexecutivecommitteeperformedtheirdutiestothebestoftheirabilities. Hence,despitethechallenges,wewereabletoconcludeaverysuccessfulyear,layingastrong foundationforthefutureyearstocome.

What were the key learnings that you got out of this experience?

Duringthetoastmasteryear,Ilearnedthatweneedtotakebolddecisionsataprecisetime. Eventhoughthesituationisunfamiliaranduncommonwemustaddresstheissuesand providesolutions.Thoughitseemsdifficultatthebeginning,eventuallyitwillimproveand providebetterresults.

Also,Ilearnedtosplitthebigproblemsintomanageablesmallportions.Sometimesonebig issuecanbescaleddowntoafewmanageableparts,whereitcanbehandledseparatelyby differentindividuals.Inaclub,there’sateamtohandledifferentaspectsandwecanhand overtheresponsibilitiestothemaccordinglytoarriveatsolutions.Bytrustingeachotherand helpingeachotheranyobstaclecanbeovercomeasateam.

Aclubwillsurviveforperpetuity,soIlearnedthatit’sour responsibilityastheexecutivecommitteetoensureasmooth transitionoftheclubandhelpitsfutureexcotoenablethe continuityoftheclub.

How have these learnings helped you in your career or life? Inmycareer,Ifacedavolatilephaseduringthattime,mainly duetothepandemicandeconomicturmoilinthecountry. TheexperienceIgainedfromtoastmastershelpedme tofacetheissuesattheworkplaceandhandlethe problemseffectively.Also,theexperienceofhandling anexcoduringatroublingperiod,helpedmeto understandthestrengthsandweaknessesofthe peopleandhowtousethemforthebettermentof theclub.Ithelpedmetounderstandthe requirementofthepeopleattheworkplace andgetthemtoprovidebetterresultsforthe company. Thetoastmasterexperiencealsotrainedme intermsofeffectivecommunicationby explainingtheproblematicsituationtothe members.Ilearnedthateffective communicationcouldsolvemanyissuesin theworkplaceandhelptomaintaina positiveimageinthepeopleandgettheir helptomanagethesituationsbetter. Theinterviewwasendedwithanoteonhow sheishappywiththewayclubisgrowingand congratulatingthenewexcotoaccomplish manythingsthatshehavemissed!

SKILL UP SESSION 01

A YOUTUBER'S STORY

NishanisoneofthemostvibrantmemberoftheMarketersToastmasterClub,duringthe pastfewyearshehasnotonlybecomethemostvibrantbutalsothemostpopularmember intheclub,ThankstohisYouTubechannel"NishanDeSilva".Hecurrentlyhas11,000+ subscribersonhischannel,hesatwithustosharehisstory.

What was the motive behind uploading personal finance related content on your channel? Igotmyfirstcreditcardin2015.Ihadnojob,salary,orideaaboutacreditcard.Igraduated fromtheleadingmanagementfacultyinthecountry,yetwehaveyettolearnhowtomanage ourmoney.IthinkyoucanguesswhereI’mgoingwiththis.

Yes,Igotmyselfintomassivecreditcarddebtswithnotime.IrealizedthatIneededtolearn howtomanagemyfinanciallife.That’swhenIstartedreadingaboutpersonalfinance, investing,andmoney.

Eventually,IstartedsharingwhatIlearnedonmyblog.I realizedthatsomanySriLankansfoundthemhelpful. That’swhenIrealizedthatothersarestrugglingjustlike me. WhenIwasruminatingonwhattopublishonYouTube, personalfinancewasthefirstthingthatcametomind.

Challenges of a youtuber and an entrepreneur during covid and the economic crisis as you see?

(Home Page of Nishan's YT channel)

Role of toastmasters in becoming a successful YouTuber? BeforejoiningToastmasters,Icouldbarelycarryouta conversationinEnglish.Today,Iconductworkshopsfor strangers.Howdidthattimidkidbecomeconfidentto speaktohundredsofstrangers?Oneword.Toastmasters. MostofusassumethatToastmastersisaboutpublic speaking.Butalongthejourney,youwillbuildmany meta skillsincommunication. WhilenoonetaughtmehowtousemyToastmasters skillsonYouTube,IknowIuseeverybitofitwhenI recordavideo. Youseevocalvariety.Youseebodylanguage.Yousee handgestures.Youseefacialexpressions.Andgoing beyond,youseetheintroduction,body,ending,and howIstructuremyvideos. RunningabusinessinSriLankaisdifficultwhetherwearehitbyaglobalpandemicoran economiccrisis.Andtheymadethingsimpossible. Forstarters,jumpbooks.lkisa100%importbusiness.WiththeeconomiccrisisandtheUSD shortage,wecouldn'timportbooksformorethan3months.Thatwasentirelyuncalledfor,and therewasn'tanythingIcoulddo.Thatfeelingofhelplessnesswassharedamongmost entrepreneursinthecountry. Ididn'tcareaboutpoliticsandthecountry'seconomyforlong.Withthecrisis,IrealizedIhavea politicalresponsibilitytothiscountryasacitizen.Sothat'sonegoodthingthatcameoutofthe crisis.Wearenotoutofthewoodsyet,butwecanmakethisanexcellentopportunitytocreatea betterSriLanka.

NEW MEMBERS

Asaprofessionalintheaviationindustrytransferringmyselftotheroleofan NLPpractitioner,Iwaslookingforaplatformtoconnectwithindividualsfrom diversebackgroundstoshareknowledgeandexperience Therewereno doubtsinmymindaboutmydecisiontojoinToastmasters IjoinedMTCwhileI wasdoingmyfinalsemesteroftheMBA,andthisgreatplaceallowedmeto bringmyuniqueskillsandtalentsintoarealitywhereIfoundlike minded individuals.MTCmembersalwaysencouraged Asanewmember,toimprovemypublicspeakingandleadership skillswhilealsobecomingamoredisciplinedlearner Choosingthepathwayof effectivecoachinginTMisnowabigpartofbothmycareerandmypersonal life.BeingamemberofadistinguishedclublikeMTCisaprivilegebuttobea partoftheMTCfamilyisatreasure. -TM UMANGA NANAYAKKARA

Myfearofpublicspeakinghashadanimpactonbothmypersonaland professionallives,eventotheextentofpreventingmefromtakingadvantageof somegreatopportunities.Fortunately,IcameacrossMTCbychanceon Instagramanddecidedtogiveitashot Inoticedthateveryonewashelpful, kind,andencouragingofoneanother'sgrowth(superfunandsassyaswell!) ThesetraitsweretherefrommyfirstcontactwithArthytomeetingeveryoneon myfirstday,upuntilthepresent.Listeningtothestoriesofthesemembers (mostofwhomhavedeepfearsofpublicspeakingandafewwhohave embarrassedthemselvesinfrontofanaudience)wasaneye openertothefact thatI'mnotaloneandthateveryoneisheretolearn.

SKILL UP SESSION 02

CHEAT SHEETS

(For Life)

TM Ayesha Ratnayake is a proud member of Marketers Toastmaster club and has taken different avatar over the years, as successful CEO, Marketer, Director , Share holder and recently as an Author. She shared her story on how she gave birth to the author in her and brought her fast selling "Cheat sheets for Life" Book.

I didn’t initially plan to publish a book. I was just trying to answer the question ‘What does science say about living a good life?’ Thanks to the magic of audiobooks and 10 hours a week spent commuting, I was able to tap into hundreds of books about happiness, productivity, relationships, and more ‘Cheat Sheets for Life: Over 750 hacks for health, happiness and success’ is essentially the data driven ‘ have been padded up to make up a thick book. So, for my reference, I began to extract the most valuable, actionable and data driven insights on how to perform well in life and put them all in one place. I took copious notes and categorised them. Soon, I realised I was building the book I had been seeking my whole life a handbook for life based on data and research. As it took shape, I felt I couldn’t keep it to myself. Everyone could use this information.

manual for life’ that I genuinely believe should be thrust into the hands of every newborn baby. Published in February 2021, the book has sold over 3,500 copies. Often, was spread across hundreds of different books And yet, most books seemed to have just three or four really valuable points which seem to

So, after years spent consuming hundreds of non fiction books, I put together a quick and practical guide summing up what science says about how to succeed across 17 dimensions of life from health to wealth to love to happiness. I learnt a lot during the process of self publishing the book as well Having been employed as a Copywriter, I know that having a second pair of eyes on one’s writing is immeasurably valuable. For that reason, I ‘hired’ my erudite aunt, Nalini Rodrigo, to do the job of editing. She approached it with a level of enthusiasm I couldn’t expect from a paid editor, ensuring every last dot and dash was just right. She even measured the gaps between the chapter headings and

text! I also had a team of beta readers who gave me invaluable feedback on my early drafts.

I used book promotion websites such as Buck Books and Reading Deals, and the reach of avid readers and reviewers the influencers of the book space to promote my book It did work! Cheat Sheets for Life became an Amazon Bestseller in three Kindle categories. I am inspired by writers who offer priceless factual insights with practical simplicity. Richard Wiseman, Chip and Dan Heath, Emily Nagoski, Elizabeth Rogers and James Clear all come to mind. These writers put in the effort to provide useful and science backed guidelines for dealing with common yet crucial challenges They have all influenced my thinking and writing. Here are some links if you’re curious to learn more about Cheat Sheets for Life or purchase your very own copy. If you do, please write to me at hi@cheatsheets.life and tell me what you think!

Cheat Sheets for Life website: http://cheatsheets.life/ Cheat Sheets for Life on JumpBooks: https://jumpbooks.lk/product/cheat

for life/ Cheat Sheets for Life on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TYQ4HH8

KEY EVENTS SO FAR

Installation

TheannualclubofficerinstallationoftheMarketersToastmastersClubwasheldbackonAugust 6thatHotelMovenpick.Thiswasafantasticeventorganizedbytheincomingexecutive committeewiththethemeofFireandIcedepictingthatthisnewexecutivecommitteehasboth thefireinthemtotaketheclubtonewheightsandalsotheicewithinthemtorelaxandcreate anenjoyableenvironmentforourmembership. TheeventwasattendedbythemembershipofMarketersTMC,afewtoastmastersfrom otherclubs,andotherdistinguishedtoastmasters.Theincomingexecutivecommitteewas installedandtheyvowedtoworktotheirfullestpotentialandbringMarketersTMCthe gloryitdeserves.

ClubContest

TheclubcontestforHumorousandEvaluations wereheldonthe6thofOctober.Thisisthefirst contestthathappenedduringthetermofthenew executivecommittee.Thehumorouscontesthad6 excellentspeakersthatrockedthevenuewith laughterfromtheaudience.Thecontest concludedwithTMNishanDeSilvaplacingfirst, DTMOshanLiyanageplacingsecondandTM YashodharaHemachandraplacingthird.The evaluationcontestalsohad6amazingindividuals thatwereanalyticalandcompassionatewhen theydeliveredtheirevaluationsofthetest speaker.ThiscontestconcludedwithTMAyesha Ratnayakeplacingfirst,DTMOshanLiyanage placingsecondandTMArthyMoorthyplacing third.

Orientatation

Thefirstorientationeventtoonboardthe newrecruitsofthenewtermforMarketers TMChappenedonthe9thofOctober.We hadsessionsconductedbyPresidentTM Yashodhara,VPEducationNisal,VP MembershipArthy,andTreasurerTM Franklin.Thesessionswereconductedon thezoomplatformbutalltheparticipants engagedthroughouttheevent.Wehad6 amazinglyenergeticnewtoastmasters thatjoinedourlittlefamily.

ClubTrip

ThemembershipofMarketersTMChasbeenaskingforaclubtripeversincethesuccess ofthelastclubtripthatweembarkedonundertheleadershipofthepreviousexecutive committee.Thisterm,insteadofoneday,wedecidedtheclubtripwouldbetwodays fulloffunandnewlearnings.Westartedourjourneyonthe26thofNovembertoGood KarmaVilla,Bentota.ThetwotriporganizersweretwofreshfacestotheMarketersTMC namelyTMNishadiandTMIshara.

Theyensuredeveryaspectoftheclubtripwasplannedoutperfectly.Onthefirstday, theVPEducationTMNisalhadafuneducationalworkshopplannedwiththeintentionof evenonafuntrip,ourmembershipgetstolearnathingortwo.Thememberswere groupedintoteamsandaskedtoperformvariousactivitiesthatwouldhelpthem improvetheirpublicspeakingandleadershipskills.

Oncetheeducationalpartofthetripconcluded,thetrip organizershadplannedaflamingo themedpartycompletewith decorationsandappropriatelythemedfoodanddrinks.Onthe secondday,everyonewasbondingoverafewgamesand activitiesandweheadedbacktoColomboafterlunch

HalloweenThemedMeeting

Jointmeetingsarealwaysfunasyougettomeetnewtoastmasters andexpandyournetwork.Butwhystopwithjustajointmeeting whenyoucanconductajointHalloweenthemedmeeting?The hostingclubMarketersTMCtogetherwithTorringtonTMChelda Halloweenthemedjointmeetingonthe27thofOctober.The meetingroomwasdecoratedwithvariousHalloweenthemed decorationsrangingfromcobwebsonthewalltospidershanging offthedoors.TherewereHalloweenthemedrefreshmentsserved aswelloutsideduringthefellowship.Everymemberthatattended themeetinghadsomesortofcostumeormakeuponsothatif anyoneweretowalkintotheroom,itwould’vebeenaveryspooky sight.

SpeechMarathon

ThemembersofMarketersTMCaresuper motivatedandbelieveinwhatwedoasan organization.Everysinglememberbelievesin thepoweroftoastmastersandhowitcanbring outyourinnerleader.Wehaveamembership thatkeepsrequestingspeechslotstocomplete theirprojectsandtodevelopthemselves.With this,theexecutivecommitteedecidedtohosta speechmarathonandgiveourmembersthe opportunitytoshowcasetheirtalent.The speechslotsfilledupimmediatelyandwehad7 amazingpreparedspeeches.Therewereeven toastmastersfromotherclubsattendingas guestsandsomeevenasspeechevaluators.The speechmarathoneventwasamassivesuccess andallthecreditgoestoouramazing membership.