SMEDLEY VOICE NEWSLETTER OF SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS CLUB | APRIL 2016 | VOL 2 ISSUE 3
Contest Season 2016 Compete with Confidence!
Club No. 2046498, Area 43, Division E, District 20
Table Of Contents
Feb 2016 Volume 2, Issue 1
Inside This Issue
Smedley
From Area 43 Director ……………………………… 03
Smedley Toastmasters Club
From the Editor’s Desk …….……………….……… 04
in Doha, Qatar.
Cover Story: Smedley Contest Fever …….………… 05
This
Contest: Meet our Champions …………………….. 06
published for internal circula-
Module: Evaluate for Contest ….....……………….. 14 Module: Guide to Table Topics ……………………. 16 Crafting a Humorous Speech ………….……….….. 17
Voice
is
a
newsletter published by the
newsletter
is
tion among the members of the
Smedley
Toastmasters
Club and to promote the ideas
and
goals
of
A Whistle Blower ...…………………….……………. 18
Toastmasters International.
Award Achievers …….……………………………... 20
The Publisher and Editor
Tickling Toastmasters ………..………………….… 22
does not take responsibility
Upcoming Events …...………..………………….…. 23
for the authenticity / opinion
Meeting Minutes & Photos …………….……….….. 26
of the articles and/or authors,
Smedley Club Meeting ………………..….…………. 29
published in this newsletter. Toastmasters
International
and its logos are trademarks registered in the USA, Canada and many other countries.
For comments or suggestions regarding the newsletter, please contact Lesiley Mathew at 66053485 or
send
an
to
tm.lesmathew@gmail.com
2
From Area 43 Director Salute To Smedley!
Toastmasters
is a fraternity of competitive people willing to achieve excellence in Life through sincere efforts to follow Toastmasters International Guidelines. The core values a Toastmaster follows are : Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence The Annual Contests at Club, Area, Division, District and International Level are the frontiers which every Toastmaster tries to conquer in the quest to Achieve Excellence.
Area Di re ct o r Abhijit Kuwalekar TM Abhijit Kuwalekar is the current Area Director
for Area 43 in Division E during the year 2015-2016. He has been a member of Toastmasters since 2008. In 2014-2015, he served as the
President
prestigious
of
ICC
the One
Toastmasters Club. He is also
an
evaluation
Smedley Toastmasters Club Excom & Members have taken excellent efforts the entire Year and have been the Top performers in AREA 43. The Toastmaster to represent AREA 43 in the Prestigious International Speech Contest at the Division level is from Smedley Toastmasters Club. This in itself reflects the efforts being taken by Smedley Toastmasters Club Excom & Mentors. Smedley Toastmasters Club has grown exponentially from the point of extinction due to the extraordinary efforts of Chief Mentor DTM Raghavan and the members are doing justice by excelling in the Toastmasters Fraternity at Various Frontiers. Sincere Best Wishes to Smedley Toastmasters Club for their Successful Journey ahead and accolades to come their way.
champion, and the current
Abhijit P Kuwalekar
nominated leader for the
Past President– ICC One Toastmasters (2014-’15)
position
of Division E
Director for the next term. Smedley
Current-Area 43 Director
Toastmasters
club members would like to wish him good luck and a great leadership journey as Division Director next year!
3
From the Editor’s Desk Dear Toastmaster,
Contest Season can be really nerve wracking for everyone in a Toastmasters Club, the participants who have to stand in front of a huge audience, the coordinators who have to find role players and even the judges who have to listen to endless set of speeches and judge without bias. Nevertheless, Smedley Toastmasters has once again risen to the challenge and done a wonderful job in conducting quality club contests followed by a fantastic participation at the area contest. This edition will cover all the important events that took place for contests. You can get some insights on how to win at an evaluation and table topics contest from the articles that summarize the educational modules covered in our club. We also have interesting articles from mentors on how to write humorous and international messages. We took the time to interview our club champions to understand their journey and to get some tips on what helped them become winners. I hope that you’ll re-read this newsletter every time you go in for a contest. And remember that contesting is not about doing better than other contestants. It is all about doing your best and becoming better than yourself.
EXCOM 2015-2016 CLUB PRESIDENT TM Vimal Raj VP EDUCATION TM Benov Jacob VP MEMBERSHIP TM Lesiley Mathew VP PUBLIC RELATIONS
Regards, Lesiley Mathew Newsletter Editor, Smedley Toastmasters
TM Shibu K Reghunath
SECRETARY TM Vijesh TREASURER TM Ammad Kanghat SERGEANT-AT-ARMS TM Musthafa A
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COVER STORY
Smedley Contest Fever Contest fever struck the Smedley Toastmasters Club in January 2016. It all began with educational modules on evaluation and table topics to prepare members. Each module was followed by a demo contest in which interested members could participate. The educational modules and demo contest took place in January 2016. The Smedley Club Contests were conducted in February and March 2016. The Area contest for Area 43 was conducted on Saturday, April 9, 2016. Smedley Toastmasters came out with flying colors and bagged 7 trophies out of the 11 trophies at the Area Contest.
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Sunish Nair TM Sunish Nair bagged three first prizes in Evaluation, International and Table Topics Speech contests at the Smedley Toastmasters Club Contest in 2016. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Sunish came second in Evaluation and Table Topics contest.
How did you prepare for the contests? There’s only one way to prepare for the contest— PPP. Practice, Practice and Practice. Only the places of practice changed. I heard many other speakers and mentally prepared myself to face the crowd.
Tell us a little about yourself. I’m a young handsome man. Married to Kavitha. Have two sons – Rohith, aged 15 and Rudraksh aged 5. I currently working with ORYX GTL Limited as Project Cost Controller. I have been in Qatar for more than 15 years. I’m thankful to God for this life. Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest? I miss my elder son now. He used to be my timer and permanent audience. Like always, I have to thank my wife for the support – even though she gets bored by hearing the same speech, still she bears it. But the now the distance between the speaker and the audience (my wife) is a bit more long. When did you start your Toastmaster journey? I started my Toastmasters journey in 2007. Took a break in 2010 and joined back in 2014
Is this your first time participating in a contest? No, I have contested before. What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? I learned how to become a better version of myself. This is a lesson which is always a learning for me as I want to improve myself. What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests? Do not worry about the results. Every contest for me is the just like doing your project. Bring out what you have and try to improve. Winning will automatically come behind you. I believe in the motto—“Do not chase success. Do your part and you will find success chasing you after a certain point.”
How does it feel to be a contest winner? There’s no two thoughts about it. It always feels great!
“To prepare for any contest, I follow the principle of PPP – Practice, Practice and Practice!”
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Girija Chari TM Girija Chari bagged three second prizes in Evaluation, International and Table Topics contests at the Smedley Toastmasters Club Contest in 2016. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Girija came second in International Speech contest and came third in Evaluation and Table Topics contest, walking away with three trophies!
Tell us a little about yourself. Since I took up science as my subject, there was not much creative writing in school. Of course you cannot change the theorems and definitions to suit your objectives! But when I had to do objective reporting in my Masters’, I understood that I enjoy writing. Now I understand why I scored high in languages during school and college. Keeping the mind open to all the opportunities that come my way and doing thorough ground work before starting anything are my strengths. Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest?
Is this your first time participating in a contest? I had participated only in Table topics in ICC Eves last year, within a few months into my journey, but did not progress to the area level. But this is my maiden success. What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? Surely contest is an eye-opener with a larger audience. It shows where you stand in your journey. After you finish that contest speech, the calmness that comes over you is the high point for which you can go to contests again and again. To me, contesting is more important than the results.
My husband and two sons were frantically searching everywhere for my speech topics. At every step, they gave me feedback from their own point of view. Whenever I wanted to practice they were ready with colored cards and time device. In fact they are my harshest critics.
What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests?
When did you start your Toastmaster journey?
How does it feel to be a contest winner?
I joined the ICC Eves Toastmasters club in 2014. I was not new to Toastmasters itself as my younger son is a gavelier since September 2013. I used to look through his manuals and help him prepare the speeches. So I had a fairly good idea of writing speeches before embarking on this journey. A year later I joined Smedley’s club to fast-track my goals of earning CC, CL and ALB by June 2016.
It felt like I was in seventh heaven as this was my first contest win. The initial euphoria subsided and then gave way to the feeling of huge responsibility that rests now on my shoulders – the area contests. The competition is against myself now – to do better than before.
Whatever the outcome, you are the winner. You have won over your fear of public speaking through one more speech. Enjoy the journey itself.
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Vimal Raj TM Vimal Raj, the Club President of Smedley Toastmasters Club bagged the first prize for the Humorous Speech Contest with his instant dynamic humor. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Vimal Raj bagged second prize for the Humorous Speech Contest.
How did you prepare for the contests?
What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest?
The first step for a contest speech is to prepare a great speech. I always start with a serious subject and end up with a humorous speech.
Know your audience and give your best, may be you will not be the winner, but you can win their hearts.
Tell us a little about yourself Bald and want to be bold.
What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests?
Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest?
Prepare well, practice well importantly, participate well.
A family's love makes life beautiful. I have one wife & one son at present. I always try to include my loved ones as characters in my own speech to arouse their interest in hearing my speech. My 5 year old son is my first spectator, proofreader & mentor.
How does it feel to be a contest winner?
When did you start your Toastmaster journey? I started my Toastmasters journey in 2012 when Smedley Club was first started. Did you always write humorous speeches? I never realized that I had potential to do humorous speeches till I started speaking at the club and found people falling over with laughter.
and
most
My individual success lasts only for a short period of time. The success of being a part of the Smedley Toastmasters Club, which is now in the limelight of Qatar Toastmasters fraternity, will last the longest. We were able to bag seven Trophies out of eleven in Area level. That's what I am mostly proud of. After the contest, I received about 5 personal calls from veteran Toastmasters in Qatar. They valued both my individual & team performance, which made me even more proud of our achievements!
Is this your first time participating in a contest? No, this is my second time in Area level. The first time that I contested, I got third place. The second time I contested, I got second and the third time, I will be the champion.
“Contesting and winning has helped me become more self-confident both at work and at Toastmasters.� 8
CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Maimoona Abubaker TM Maimoona came second for Humorous Speech Contest and third for the International Speech Contest at the Smedley Toastmasters Club Contest. At the Area 43 Contest, TM Maimoona was declared the champion at the International Speech Contest and will be representing Area 43 at the Division E Contest for 2016. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
Is this your first time participating in a contest?
I have lived in Qatar for the past 26 years with my husband and four children. I am working at Maersk Oil Qatar as a cost controller for the past eighteen years. My dream is to become the World Champion of Public Speaking one day.
No, In 2014, I participated for the ICC Eves Humorous Speech Contest and came third.
Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest? My family consists of my husband, me, four children, and two grand daughters. I got a lot of support from them. They patiently sat through my practice hours listening to my speech and gave constructive feedback each time. Also, my family gives me the inspiration to write speeches. I have written many beautiful speeches about my husband, my children, my daughter in laws and even about my grandmother. So my family has helped me gain speech topics easily. How did you prepare for the contests?
I prepared for the contest with lots of practice and perseverance. I had a lot of help and encouragement from my fellow toastmasters and mentors. Toastmasters are a group of people who are always willing to help each other. I had help from mentors who were contesting themselves. It just shows the selfless nature of Toastmasters.
What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? To never give up. If we want something with our complete heart and soul, we should never give up. What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests? Lots of Practice. And also you must have a personal touch to your speeches. How does it feel to be a contest winner? It feels truly amazing. Like a long awaited dream come true. I am competing in both Humorous and International Speech Contests at the Division level. One year ago, that dream would have been impossible. But with enough practice and perseverance and my faith, I will be contesting at the Division. Please wish me luck and come to cheer me!
When did you start your Toastmaster journey? My toastmaster journey started in early 2014
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Rasha Rafiq TM Rasha Rafiq is a budding Toastmaster who has achieved so much in the last six months, including completing her 10 speeches, editing newsletters, creating websites and her latest accomplishment is becoming a contest winner. She bagged third prize at the Smedley Toastmasters Club and Qatar Toastmasters Club for the Table Topics contest, making her an excellent impromptu orator. Tell us a little about yourself I am a project management professional with an IT background and I currently work as a Strategy Specialist in Aspire Zone Foundation.
What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? Never compare yourself to others, your competitor is always yourself !
Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest?
What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests?
My family is supportive all the way. They proof-read my speeches. They watch my rehearsals and they get excited whenever I get back home with a certificate or a trophy.
Prepare ahead of time, listen to your mentors and practice, practice, practice.
When did you start your Toastmaster journey? I started my Toastmasters journey in May 2015.
How does it feel to be a contest winner? It feels awesome! For me being a table topics winner means a lot especially that this category needs no previous preparation, so it just showed me I am capable of being a good speaker..
Is this your first time participating in a contest? Yes, this is my first year participating in contests.
“Prepare ahead of time, listen to your
How did you prepare for the contests? The contest season was tough, especially that I am a member of three clubs.. Honestly I did not write specific speeches for the contests, I focused on projects in my CC manual.
mentors and practice, practice, practice! �
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Nusrath Tencherry TM Nusrath Tencherry is a fairly new member who joined Smedley Toastmasters through the Smedley Speechcraft program conducted in November 2015. TM Nusrath bagged the third prize at the Smedley Toastmasters Club Humorous Speech Contest and gave a humorous speech about her quest for beauty. She participated in the Area 43 Contest and did a fantastic job! Tell us a little about yourself.
Is this your first time participating in a contest?
I come from a small family with 5 members; my parents, my elder brother, me and my twin sister. I’m married to M.K.Basheer Ismail with 2 children, a boy and a girl. I currently work as Secretary to the Tender Department for Salini Impregilo S.P.A Qatar Branch.
Yes, this is my first time participating in a contest. I was just 4 speeches old during the club contest.
Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest? I have a small and very sweet family. They were very supportive, especially my daughter who helped me in the preparation for the contest. She would record my speech and even correct me if I skip a line. How did you prepare for the contests? I practiced at every opportunity I could get. I practiced it even while taking a shower or doing any house chore and even at my office desk. When did you start your Toastmaster journey? I started my toastmaster journey through Smedley Speech craft in October 2015.
What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? Speech contests are the best step towards greater improvement. There is always room for improvement. Work on your strengths as well as weaknesses. Hard work and persistence pays off. What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests? I encourage everyone to take part in speech contests whenever there is an opportunity. The speech contest motivates you to become a better speaker. How does it feel to be a contest winner? It feels incredible!! I really enjoyed being a part of the club contest. Whatever the result, good or bad, is certainly valuable.
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CONTEST: MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
Midhun Babu TM Midhun Babu has been with Smedley Toastmsters since its inception. TM Midhun Babu enthusiastically took part in the Evaluation Contest at the Smedley Toastmasters Club and was declared the third prize winner at the Evaluation Contest after delivering a fantastic performance and providing an apt evaluation for the test speaker at the contest. Tell us a little about yourself I am currently working with Qatar Tractor & Equipment Co. as Senior Sales Engineer. I am a BTech graduate in Mech Production from SCT college of Engineering. I love listening to music and watching any sport. Tell us about your family. Did they help you prepare for the contest? My wife, Mrs. Sreedevi, is a software professional. She gives me good support to my toastmaster journey. She is also a very good critic who helps me to improve while I practice. When did you start your Toastmaster journey? I joined Smedley Toastmasters Club in May 2012. Is this your first time participating in a contest? I had represented Smedley for Area contest in Evaluation and Table topics in 2013.
How did you prepare for the contests? I watched a few videos of evaluation from you tube. I also watched some speeches and tried evaluating. What is the most important lesson that you learned from the contest? Toastmasters is a place where you have ample opportunities to perform. A platform like a
contest is a great opportunity to judge our performance, correct it and continue on the path of improvement! What advice do you have for people interested in participating for contests? Good preparation will help you perform better. When you get an opportunity like a contest, try to participate and make the best of such opportunities. For that there is only one solution - PRACTICE. How does it feel to be a contest winner? When you take a role in a toastmaster meeting as a timer or as a speaker, the moment you finish the task and get that applause from your ever supporting members, the confidence that a toastmaster gains is immense. It takes the individual to the next level. When it comes to an event like a club contest, after winning, it makes me confident and more importantly, it triggers the drive to learn more and more through this great organization.
“Good preparation will help you perform better.�
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CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS
Smedley Club Awards Smedley has bagged innumerous awards this year both at the club level and district level, for club achievements. President’s Distinguished Club Award Smedley Toastmasters Club has achieved the Prestigious Distinguished President’s Club status by Dec 31, 2015. PQD Excellence Award: Club DRP Achiever Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon and Certificate for the President and VP Education who facilitated to get the District 20 PQD Excellence Award. This award is given to clubs who achieve 6 DCP Points before December 31, 2015. PQD Excellence Award: Club Fast Track Communicator Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon and Certificate for the four or more members who achieved the CC Award before December 31, 2015. Club Award: Smedley Award for Membership Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon for achieving the annual Smedley Award for adding 5 or more members in Aug-Sept 2015.
Club Award: Talk Up Award for Membership Smedley Toastmasters Club is entitled for a Ribbon for achieving the annual Talk Up Toastmasters Award for adding 5 or more members in Feb-March 2015.
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EDUCATIONAL: EVALUATE FOR CONTEST
EVALUATE FOR CONTEST Evaluation Module was conducted by TM Lesiley Mathew followed by a demo contest in January 2016 for Smedley Toastmasters club to familiarize new members to evaluation. Here’re the highlights: EVALUATION JUDGING CRITERIA is based on the sections below:
Analytical Quality – 40 % (Clear, Focused)
Recommendations – 30% (Positive, Specific, Helpful)
Technique – 15% (Sympathetic, sensitive and motivational)
Conclusion/Summary – 15% (Concise, encouraging)
ANALYTICAL QUALITY (40%):- the ability to accurately analyze the speaker’s strong and weak points. This includes presenting the points in a sandwich method with 2 strong points, followed by 2 weak points and finally specifying another strong point. ANALYTICAL POINTS TO EVALUATE: CC Project 1- SPEECH CONTENT: Introduction : (Clear / Interesting / Attention grabbing ) Body : (Statistics / Testimony / Examples / Stories / Anecdotes / Facts / Visual aids) Conclusion : (Impressive / Effective) CC Project 2: ORGANIZATION Outline : (Chronological / Comparative / Topical / Problem-solution) Overall organization : (Easy to understand / Easy to remember / Credible / Enjoyable / Logical) Transitions : (Appropriate / Smooth) CC Project 3: SPEECH PURPOSE : Type of speech : (Inform / Persuade / Entertain / Inspire) CC Project 4 – HOW TO SAY IT? DICTION: Written for the ear? : (Clarity – Short words / sentences) Usage of vivid words : (Descriptive / Creativity/ Imagination) Incorporation of rhetoric devices : (Simile / Metaphor / Alliteration / Triads)
Presence of grammatical errors? : (Subject verb agreement / misplaced modifiers/ misused pronouns) Pronunciation :Presence of jargons and unnecessary words? CC Project 5 - BODY LANGUAGE : Stance / Posture : (Poised / Confident / Shy / Weak) Movement : (Purposeful / Smooth / Nervous / Awkward) Gestures : (Natural / Evocative) Facial expressions : (Animated / Friendly / Genuine) Eye Contact
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EDUCATIONAL: EVALUATE FOR CONTEST CC Project 6 - VOCAL VARIETY: Volume : (Loud / Soft) Pitch : (Varied / Conversational), Rate : (Fast / Slow / Normal) Quality : (Pleasant / Friendly / Monotonous / Artificial) Silence / Pauses : (Appropriate / Effective), Expressiveness : (Conveys emotion / meaning) Voice : (Natural / Consistent / Clear / Modulated) CC Project 8 - VISUAL AIDS: Type of visual aids :Appropriateness : Visibility : Handling visual aids : (With ease / confidence) CC Projects 9 and 10 - 3 Cs: Conviction :Credibility :Connect with the audience : RECOMMENDATION (30%): This can make the difference between winning and losing! Do not just say the weak point, BUT Explain “HOW TO IMPROVE” the weak point Example: Grammar problem – ask speaker to : A.Consider getting mentor to proof read, B. Memorize grammatically corrected sentences, C. Practice the speech with mentor so that mentor can point out grammar issues. D. Take reading as a hobby. TECHNIQUE(15%): Be empathetic/sympathetic/sensitive to target speaker’s feelings Smile at target speaker and uplift speaker by mentioning positive points with enthusiasm Think that you’re advising “YOUR BOSS” not your peers, to be gentle in evaluation Never use word “IMPROVE”, say instead, “Recommendations for your speech” Empathize—If you had the same issue, mention that and explain how you worked on it CONCLUSION:(15%): DO NOT FORGET TO CONCLUDE (Conclusion holds 15 marks) Please say “TO CONCLUDE” or “TO SUMMARIZE” LOUDLY to ensure judges hear you. Keep an eye on the time. If you see “Red”, start concluding. EVALUATION SPEECH FORMAT
Opening Statement,
Contest chair, Fellow Toastmasters and my target speaker {Speaker Name}
Strong Point 1: Strong Point 2: Strong Point 3: Weak Point 1: Recommendation 1: Weak Point 2: Recommendation 2 Strong Point 4: Conclusion: (Summarize strong points in single sentence followed by improvement and conclude with a positive remark to speaker and begin with “To conclude” or “To summarize”): TM Lesiley Mathew For comments, you can reach her at tm.lesmathew@gmail.com
15
EDUCATIONAL: TABLE TOPICS GUIDE
Guide to Table Topics This is one of the segments in the Toastmasters Meeting which almost everyone is afraid of or rather wants to avoid. Not only in Toastmasters, in our day to day life also, we come across some situations where we are asked to talk on a subject, out of the blue. Many a times, we find it difficult and struggle to put across our idea, if we have any, to the audience. Many a times, we find ourselves going totally blank and have a feeling like sinking into the ground. This is quite natural and we should not be ashamed of it. Rather, we should be developing ourselves and our speaking skills in such a way that we are able to handle such situations with ease. Table Topics segment in a Toastmasters meeting is the best opportunity available. We should use this opportunity and develop our thinking and speaking skills to the best possible limit. With this idea and as a helping or guiding arm to the new Toastmasters, I conducted an educational module on Table Topics – basically the idea was to explain the requirement of being a good Table Topics Speaker and my ideas on how to approach the same. The below mentioned common ideas were put forward with certain examples – Things to remember while attempting Table Topics :
Your table topics speech is also a speech and therefore we should have a proper structure for the speech with an introduction, body and conclusion.
Do not fill the empty spaces with ums and ahs. Instead use pauses to a greater effect.
Preparation :
Read a lot – newspapers, editorials, books, novels even children’s school books.
Always be prepared to speak as this is the best opportunity to get rid of your fears.
Common Methods to attempt Table Topics :
PREP – method – Position, Reason, Examples and Position
PEP – you could straight away start with your position, examples and position again
PPF – Past, Present, Future – put some light into the past or background, what is the present situation and what do you foresee as the future
Personalize – Repeat the question / statement, then personalize it with your own example. Explain the solution / achievement, then repeat the question / statement, and reaffirm your final opinion
TM Sunish Nair For comments, you can reach TM Sunish at rohithsunish@hotmail.com
16
EDUCATIONAL: CRAFTING A HUMOROUS SPEECH
Crafting a Humorous Speech Crafting a humorous speech is an unbelievably difficult task for many Toastmasters. After I carved a niche for myself in humorous speeches, some Toastmasters approached me with a question, “How do you make your speeches funny?” In my quest to become a humorous speaker, I have done a lot of research and here’re some of those valuable tips that can help you in this quest if you want to be a humorous speaker. Tip # 1: Speech Material
The best humorous speeches are those written about yourself with self-deprecating jokes, first time failures that you had, or a funny incident that happened to you, or a bad incident with irony in it. Your personal stories are the best because they're unique and has elements of surprise and twist that no one's heard before. Tip # 2: Originality Please note that originality is extremely important for humorous speeches. So try not to use jokes that you've heard before because this can lead to disqualification. Remember that judges are always senior toastmasters who are extremely well read. If you liked a joke, then you can be 100% sure that at least one person in the room will have heard the same joke and remember it well.
Tip # 3: Rule of Three—this technique is effective and has never failed me. You say two points that are similar in nature and the third one should be completely different or exactly the opposite of the first two points. A good example, “My husband was handsome like movie stars, dynamic like champion speakers and … foolish enough to get married.” Tip # 4: Using metaphors to compare two unrelated examples Example: After getting married, my husband created a long list of tasks for me—cooking, cleaning, laundry. After seeing that list, I realized that marriage was like joining the military. Tip # 5: Exaggeration of a situation Example: My husband expected me to be a goddess who would cook delicious food for countless lives. But after I almost set the house on fire, he realized that instead of cooking delicious food for countless lives, I MIGHT TAKE countless lives trying to cook anything at all. Tip # 6: Twisting a famous quote Example: I once went to a beauty salon and ended up getting a sea weed body wrap treatment that unfortunately smelled like dead fish. That’s how I learned a great truth. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but a sea weed wrap can keep your husband away for a month or more. TM Lesiley Mathew For comments, you can reach her at tm.lesmathew@gmail.com
17
INSPIRATION: A WHISTLE BLOWER
A Whistle Blower “A Teacher affects eternity. No one can tell where her influence stops” said Henry Brook Adams, a famous American Historian.
Teachers are the ones who make us. They are an integral part of our adolescent years. They make an impression that lasts a lifetime. We may not remember their names now . Yet.. there are a few teachers who impact you so much, you remember their words till you reach your grave. In short this is an ode to the unsung heroes in our life who inspire us…..….the teachers. Our school was the most popular school in the neighborhood. It was churning out rank holders in 10th and 12th grades every year. So naturally it was the preferred choice of many parents. I was enrolled in that huge school in my 6th grade. It was a very strict allgirls school run by the nuns of a convent. We called them sisters or mothers. All were women , the teachers, helpers, the administration staff…. There were only 2 men in that huge campus, a watchman near the gate and the god in the church. Every morning at 9 am, there was an assembly without fail, come rain or shine….. All the 1500 students will stand in their designated slots without talking to one another and wait till the Mother Superior appeared on the stage to preside over. This might take anything from 15 to 25 minutes. This was the most painful time for all the girls. Not because of the harsh morning sun, not because of the waiting time but because of one whistle blower…. She was our PT teacher. She took discipline and sports quite seriously…. more than our subject teachers’ worry about completing our syllabus. She was omnipresent , yet you cannot see her always. But when you talked to your friend nearby in the assembly, she would know that immediately wherever she was. She would come stealthily behind you like a leopard on prowl. Until her hand landed on your back and shocked you, you would not hear her. What a blow it would be….. a ton of bricks broken on your back…When it came to discipline, she spared no sticks. And sticks…She never carried one…. she instantly got one by breaking a branch off a tree. That was when deforestation started I believe. We had PT classes once a week only. But she occupied our minds 24/7. She never wore any jewelry and she was always clad in a white sari. Her only ornament was a whistle in her mouth.
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INSPIRATION: A WHISTLE BLOWER Whenever she catches us doing a mischief , she would say only this “You will bring disgrace to your family if you behave like this”. At 11 and 12 years of age, I was thinking not standing in a line or talking in Assembly are the only disgraceful events. For all the terror she spread, at times, she showed her softer side. When someone throws the ball right or matches her level of play, in any of the many games she played, she used to smile a little. It was like a lightning streak crossing an overcast sky… just a second. You blink, you miss it type. One day ….around 12 noon in October month in 1984, suddenly all hell broke loose. The entire school was dismissed and the students were asked to leave the campus immediately. The reason… Our Prime Minister was shot at. The buses were not running. Shops were downing their shutters. We had to walk through a particularly crowded market area to catch a vehicle or the sub urban train, if it were available. We really got to see the good side of our PT Teacher on that day. She made sure we were accompanied by at least one teacher or parent past that market place. That incident taught us that we were wrong in judging her to be hard-hearted. After more than 25 years, now when I look back, I understand her discipline had taught me to be cautious when I had to spend 3 years away from my family, alone in a working women’s hostel. It had helped me shield myself from awkward situations in my youth. She stays in my memory more than other teacher . Above all, it had clearly taught me the importance of nurturing good character right from childhood! Even now whenever I hear a long whistle……………..I stop and stand in attention immediately. There are a few people who leave an indelible mark in our life. Your friends, mentors, relatives, parents, anybody else …. All of them teach a value during the course of their interaction with you. Some do it with a disarming smile, some with a whistle and a stick like my PT teacher, some with a tight slap…The way they teach may be unpleasant, yet it guides us throughout. Keeping an open mind will help us understand those values. Believing that it is all for our own good will help us live a better life. Because these values are tried and tested thoroughly. By TM Girija Chari, CC For comments, please contact TM Girija Chari at charigirija@gmail.com
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AWARD ACHIEVERS IN 2016
HIGH PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP Every aspiring DTM must complete a High Performance Leadership project during their journey to DTM. TM Lesiley Mathew has completed her High Performance Leadership project in this tenure by conducting the Smedley Speechcraft program for 19 participants. This led to an increase in membership and the completion of a milestone. Her achievement was published on the District 20 Facebook website.
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AWARD ACHIEVERS IN 2016 TM Maimoona, CC TM Maimoona completed the Competent Communicator manual and has received her award in 2016. She is currently serving as the Sergeant At Arms at the ICC Eves ladies club and has already completed two speeches of her Advanced Manual “Humorously Speaking”. TM Rasha Rafiq, CC, CL TM Rasha Rafiq is a dual Toastmaster and has completed the Competent Communicator and Competent Leadership manuals in 2016. She is currently serving as the VP Public Relations for Qatar Toastmasters club and is also the newsletter Editor for the Smedley Speechcraft Newsletter released in 2016. TM Kamarudheen Narattayil TM Kamarudheen Narratayil is a dual Toastmaster who completed his Competent Communicator manual in December 2015. He joined Toastmasters in April 2014 and is currently the Treasurer at Doha Toastmasters. His motto in life is “Do your best and give your best to enhance the quality of life”.
TM Girija Chari, CC TM Girija Chari is a dual Toastmaster who completed her Competent Communicator manual in April 2016. She started her Toastmasters journey in September 2014 and is currently the Secretary at ICC Eves Ladies club during this tenure. She is determined to complete her CL and ALB in this tenure. 21
TICKLING TOASTMASTERS
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UPCOMING EVENTS - DIVISION E CONFERENCE
DIVISION E CONFERENCE , QATAR ON FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2016 AT COLLEGE OF NORTH ATLANTIC
REGISTER FOR FREE ENTRY AT : http://goo.gl/forms/DtHlrOOQf5
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UPCOMING EVENTS - DIVISION Q CONFERENCE
DIVISION Q CONFERENCE TAC-Q , QATAR ON FRIDAY APRIL 29, 2016 AT COLLEGE OF NORTH ATLANTIC
REGISTRATION FULL To be on a waiting list, please email TM.LESMATHEW@gmail.com 24
UPCOMING EVENTS - DISTRICT CONFERENCE
DISTRICT 20 CONFERENCE 26—28 MAY, 2016, ABU DHABI, UAE
REGISTER AT http://www.dtac2016.com 25
Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting # 81 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Feb 17, 2016
Excitement is impossible where there is no contest- Henry Cobot Lodge. Meeting # 81 was the start of contests in Smedley Toastmasters Club for 2016. This evening we had Humorous and Table Topics Contests. Vice President-PR TM Shibu Reghunath was the Contest Sergeant-at-arms and invited VPE TM Benov Jacob to Preside the meeting. TM Benov introduced the Chief Judge TM Thayalan Kailaya Pillai. TM Benov then introduced the Contest Chair for Humorous Contest TM Lesiley Mathew. The contestants were TM Noorudeen Veetykadan, TM Shylesh Kunnanattil, TM Maimoona Abubaker, TM Nusrath Tenchery, TM Vimalraj and TM Joseph Daeda. The hall was soon filled with uncontrolled laughter. After the Break the Contest Sergeant-atarms TM Shibu introduced the Contest Chair for Table Topics Contest TM Noorudeen as a person who is unable to find his socks (something from his humorous speech). The Contest Participants were then escorted one-by-one to the hall to deliver their table topic speeches. TM Kiran, TM Shylesh Kunnanattil, TM Sunish Narayan Nair, TM Girija Vasudevan Chari, TM Nusrath Tenchery, TM Rasha Rafiq Abualhassan, TM Thavamayooran Balasridharan and TM N Kamruddin. Smedley Club Humorous Speech Contest 2016 Results 1. TM Vimal Raj 2. TM Maimoona Abubaker 3. TM Nusrath Tenchery Smedley Club Table Topics Contest 2016 Results 1. TM Sunish Narayan Nair 2. TM Girija Vasudevan Chari 3. TM Rasha Rafiq Abualhassan All together, we had a fun-filled contest session.
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Club Meeting Minutes and Photos Smedley Meeting #82 at Sharq Capital on Wed, Mar 2, 2016
Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other- Charles Lamb Meeting # 82 was the second contest day for 2016 in Smedley Toastmasters Club. This evening we had Evaluation and International Speech Contests. TM Benov introduced the Chief Judge DTM N V Raghavan and the Contest Chair for Evaluation Contest TM Ammad Kangath. The participants were TM Midhun S Babu, TM Mohammed Ali O K, TM Girija Vasudevan Chari and TM Sunish Narayanan Nair participated in the contest. The Test speaker was TM Afzal.
After the Break, our VPE TM Benov Jacob invited TM Shibu K Reghunath to chair the International Speech Contest. The participants were TM Girija Vasudevan Chari, TM Sunish Narayanan Nair, TM Rasha Rafiq, TM Vimalraj, TM Maimoona Abubaker and TM Noorudeen participated in the contest. We had awesome, creative and inspiring speeches by the participants. TM Benov invited Division Director- Division E TM Ravikumar to address the gathering. TM Ravikumar recalled his childhood memories while hearing the speech topics of the evening. He also expressed his appreciation for the contestants and club’s activities. Smedley Club Evaluation Speech Contest 2016 Results 1. TM Sunish Narayanan Nair 2. TM Girija Vasudevan Chari 3. TM Midhun S Babu Smedley Club International Speech Contest 2016 Results 1. TM Sunish Narayanan Nair 2. TM Girija Vasudevan Chari 3. TM Maimoona Abubaker All together, we had a fun-filled contest session.
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Club Meeting Photos
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Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose members
of
helping
improve
communication,
their public
speaking, and leadership skills.
TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL VALUES: Integrity, Respect, Service And Excellence
SMEDLEY TOASTMASTERS
Meets on Every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays At Sharq Capital C-Ring Road, Doha, Qatar Phone: 66053485 Email: tm.lesmathew@gmail.com www.SmedleyToastmasters.ORG
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OUR CLUB MISSION:
WITH A SINGLE
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.
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