LIVEWIRE AUGUST 2O17
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, DISTRICT 41 TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL
Special Coverage Toastmaster International Vancouver Convention
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR FORMAL SESSIONS Small Changes Significant Improvement
LEADERSHIP SKILLS to help you lead your team in a better way.
THE BIG PICTURE to understand what we do and why we do it !
THE SECRETS TO GREAT LEADERSHIP
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DISTRICT DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Pallav Verma, DTM
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MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
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THE SECRETS TO GREAT LEADERSHIP
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QUICK TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR SESSION'S QUALITY
Smita Pati, ACB, ALB
Satyadip Basu, DTM, Associate Program Quality Director, District 41
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VANCOUVER CONVENTION, 2017 Sandeep Raturi, Program Quality Director, District 41
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THE BIG PICTURE Devina Chaturvedi, ACS, ALB, Public Relations Manager, District 41
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District Director's Message
'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. " -John Quincy Adams Have you ever had a chance to talk to Toastmasters International World Headquarters staff? It has been over three years since I have been in continuous touch with them and I am amazed by the way they lead themselves and Toastmasters from over 141 countries. They leave me in awe every single time by listening patiently and reverting politely to my queries. I had a similar experience when I moved from a Corporate Club to a Community Club. Contest season was on and I was no more a part of the organization. It struck me when one such leader who happened to be the VP Education of the new club went beyond the call of duty and helped me in the transfer of my membership. He not only did that extra bit but also ensured that I, as a member, get a delightful experience, which has retained me in Toastmasters till date. As a member of this esteemed organization, what extra have we done to serve our fellow members? We do not require Executive Committee positions to lead; we simply should have the urge to serve this organization, which has given us so much. If each one of us commits to help our fellow members and give them the experience that we always want, we’ll have happy members and we’ll live the mission of Toastmasters International. Leadership is more about listening, understanding and being willing to extend support to our fellow members. Every member can be an amazing leader if we try to do this extra bit.
Pallav Verma, DTM District Director, 2017 -2018
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EDITORIAL NOTE Dear Readers, We all talk about leadership every day but seldom do we understand the significance of small things that create huge impact in cultivating leadership skills. This month when we were searching for “The Secrets to Great Leadership”, we got so many pointers that we would like to share them with you. In this edition, we will talk about activities that strengthen your leadership skills, habits that shape your decision making skills, traits that enhance your managerial skills and many more. There were times when I did things subconsciously because they were rules of my house, which later on translated as a part of my day to day life routine. These activities were grooming me to be a better leader without me realizing their worth. One such rule was - Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. It was one of the toughest rules during school days but today, this is my key to stress & time management. This gives me at least 6 hours of sound sleep and with enough time in morning to go for a jog, complete my work of Club and District, cook my own lunch and perform many other activities. This also give me ample time to plan out my day and map my tasks.
Moreover, research has shown that, not only are early risers more optimistic and conscientious, but also anticipate problems early and minimize them more efficiently. Want to learn time management and increase your productivity? Get up an hour early and you will get the much needed 25th hour of the day. With this edition, let us learn from the leaders and improve our skills set. With each passing day, let us together try to be a better version of ourselves.
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” - Vince Lombardi
Smita Pati, ACB, ALB Editor in Chief
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"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. " John Quincy Adams
Uncover the Secrets of  Great Leadership 5
LEADERSHIP - IT'S FOR ALL OF US!
Anirban Bhattacharjee, ACB, ALS Immediate Past Area Director, Area H3, Division H Leadership is listening. Â Listening to someone calls for respect; it signifies that you respect their ideas and opinions and are willing to hear them. As Dean Rusk famously puts it," One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears." Leadership is also loyalty. Whenever you give loyalty, you get more loyalty in return, and out of loyalty flows other great qualities of anyone who works with you. Leaders are loyal to the people they work with and for, the purpose they serve and the principles they hold dear. A team can function at its best only if the leader of the team improves the lives of the people in that team or improves the conditions and processes in which they are working. It doesn't matter who or where you are or how successful you become in this world, as a leader, you must care for other people. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Great leaders, never quit. Lance Armstrong once said, "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." If Columbus had turned back, no one would have blamed him. Of course, no one would have remembered him either. Never quit as a leader, never ever. Continued....
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LEADERSHIP - IT'S FOR ALL OF US! If you think as a leader, you are going to put greatness into people, that's something you do not have the power to do. The only thing you could do best as a leader is enlightening the greatness which is already there in a person, it's like turning the switch on in a dark room which already had the bulb. Leaders must inspire others with the confidence that he/she finds in others and not with their own confidence as a leader. If people believe in themselves, they can achieve amazing things. As a leader, it's the primary task to create such a culture and environment where people could find themselves, find their inner potential to excel. John Quincy Adams puts it beautifully when he says, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." Leadership should always be by example, a person should look at you and gain confidence. If you are in control, they are in control. Lastly, if you think leadership is a concept that applies only to certain people in organizations, think again and think further.  Regardless of our gender, occupation, or education level or where we are positioned in life, each of us touches and influences others' lives. Each of us is a leader to someone. That's why leadership is something we all must be concerned with, that's why it's important for all of us.
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Sailing through Storms! Karan Bajaj, ACB, ALB Immediate Past President, Adobe Toastmasters Club
“The Secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates The announcement that Adobe Orgs was splitting into different offices, was final. Contrary to excitement among employees of moving to a new office, members of Adobe Toastmasters Club were tensed since different offices meant a possible club split. It was after days of disquietude, that we knew none of us was ready for this “break-up”. But thanks to the ‘Adobe’ of Adobe Toastmasters Club, we decided to leverage Technology conducting weekly meetings on the same day, same time, but at different locations, via Video Conferencing. Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen side-effects as employees were settling down in their new offices. Attendance shrunk, members shrunk, a few EC members dropped out, and we knew the real battle against change had just begun. It was then that, as a battalion, the new EC accepted this challenge. We brainstormed for hours trying to understand the fundamentals - WHY someone joins Toastmasters, HOW each step in this journey can be a delightful experience, WHAT pains a member most, and so on. We accepted challenges, experimented, failed, took feedback, improved, and kept moving forward. It has been an year since then and during this period the Adobe Toastmasters Club has set a new standard of conducting successful hybrid (online + offline) meetings across its various locations. Adobe Toastmasters Club has hosted historic ‘A COTP to Remember’, conducted meetings with PowerPoint-based agendas, nailed meeting timings, added brilliant members, started a Mentor-ship program, bagged numerous awards, got compliments of being the best Corporate club in District 41, but most importantly learnt a few invaluable lessons ● Focus on Fundamentals. ● Order = Sustainability. ● Flexibility = Growth. ● Embrace change. ● Think, do – now. ● Failure is chill. Looking back, this quote of Socrates would never have been so true, if it was not for a change to make us build the new.
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Why Leaders Must Be Readers! Annesha Dutta, DTM Immediate Past Area Director, Area H1, Division H
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” – Harry S. Truman I’m a proud nerd. I have always loved reading; to the exclusion of many things. It was only when I joined Toastmasters and started writing my speeches that I found my reading invaluable for ideas and conversation starters. However, as a leader, I found reading indispensable. Even though there was lesser time for reading on a regular basis, it seemed more crucial. Here’s my take on why ‘all leaders must be readers’. A. Reading Expands Your Horizons: How many leaders/ entrepreneurs/ achievers can you connect with and learn from? Books give you a fast insight into the journeys, learnings and mindsets of extremely successful people and companies; often from different cultures. B. Reading Gives You Innovative Ideas: Did you know about ten ways in which saying ‘Thank-You’ to your teams can boost productivity and morale by 30%? Did you know how to conduct ‘mind-mapping’ sessions? Did you know why you should walk and conduct meetings? Well, I didn’t either. Till I read books.
C. Books And Ideas Are Conversation Starters: Oh, the bane of table topics! Or what to talk about at networking events? How to make an impression? “Did you read that book on....?” “ I love this author...his/her views on running is so amazing...” – reading helps you make a deeper connect. D. Reading Is A Stress Buster: Bill Gates famously reads for 15 minutes before going to bed. Disconnecting from your gadgets and reading is a great, economical stress buster. E. Reading Gives Us Perspective: Leaders sometimes get caught up in linear ways of thinking. Reading helps open up differing viewpoints and fresh perspectives to a subject – adopt it or not, it makes you understand the customer or the member viewpoint. F. Reading Makes Us Thinkers and Doers: In the age of constant consumption in social media, we have forgotten to ‘chew the cud’ – introspection and thinking is as important as executing the idea. Reading makes us thinkers as we have to visualize the idea/concept in our imagination and then figure how we can adapt it. G. Reading Makes Us Better Communicators: Reading gives you an amazing vocabulary – three times more than non-readers. You use better words, correct words and quotes in your communication. It presents scenarios and case studies that you can use in real life. Continued....
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Why Leaders Must Be Readers! H. Reading Challenges Us: Reading saves us from narcissism and self absorption. It gives us a macro-view of the world. It challenges our thoughts, feelings, ideas, judgement, biases, deeply held beliefs and perspectives. You can spark debates with your team with the reference of controversial topics and innovation might flow into your work. #win-win Here are some books specifically enabling leadership development. 1. Managing the Mental Game by Jeff Boss: Using a blend of mental-training methodologies, former Navy SEAL Jeff Boss shows readers how to build selfconfidence and fortitude, enabling them to reach new levels of success. 2. Start With Why by Simon Sinek: This book centers on an important business truth: People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. 3. The Go-Giver Leader by Bob Burg and John David Mann: Great leaders don’t try to act like “leaders.” Instead, they strive to be more human. They focus on the concept that “if you give, you shall receive.” 4. The Dip by Seth Godin: The Dip proves that winners do quit, and quitters do win. Seth Godin shows that winners quit quickly and often, until they commit to beating the right “dip.” 5. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: It is how people get what they want or need, especially when other people are trying to get the same thing.
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Why Leaders Must Be Readers! 6. Essentialism by Greg McKeown : By pursuing “less,” we are empowered to prioritize what is truly important in our lives, and thus are able to give the highest possible contribution toward those things
11. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey: By changing your mindset to embrace an alternative perspective, Covey walks you through the selfmastery ‘Paradigm Shift’.
7. Drive by Daniel H. Pink: Daniel H. Pink asserts in Drive that the secret to prompting higher achieving workers is to tap into their internal motivation. Doing so will increase satisfaction at work, at school and at home, and also empower us to better ourselves and our world.
12. Tribes by Seth Godin :Communicate and motivate. To lead you must inspire others to follow your example or orders. It helps if you’re able to attract, engage, and encourage employees, business partners, and potential clients to get on board with your plan or proposal.
8. Getting Things Done by David Allen: Allen offers important tools and strategies on how to focus our energy and manage workflows, including how to get through work tasks quickly, delegate when appropriate and defer when necessary.
13. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg: Women of the world – how to get the corner office and lead your business; work and life. Men of the world – how to support and create a world for amazing women in business.
14. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Being 9. Give and Take by Adam Grant: Success is vulnerable doesn’t have to be a weakness. not just about hard work, talent and luck. Our Instead, Brown tells us that it’s most ability to achieve is increasingly dependent on important to show up; to try and to fail. how well we interact with others. Adam Grant's book shows that most people operate 15. The War of Art by Steve as takers, matchers or givers. Pressfield: Procrastination, fear, and selfdoubt strike everyone. The only way to beat 10. What They Don't Teach You at Harvard them is to make stuff and share it with the Business School by Mark H. McCormack world. Mark H. McCormack teaches you how to use his “applied people sense” in sales, So when are you picking up a new book? negotiation, executive time management and reading yourself and others.
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My Leadership Style! Diwakar Labh, DTM Immediate Past Public Relations Manager, District 41 We are all leaders to some extent. We demonstrate certain leadership abilities at workplace, home, or different other places in our day to day life. I am not sure whether I am good or bad leader but I believe that I have demonstrated certain leadership traits in the past not only at Toastmasters but also at my workplace. My style of leadership can be categorized into 4 types: a) Service b) Ethical c) Inclusive and, d) Strategic SERVICE LEADERSHIP: In words of Mahatma Gandhi “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” To be a true servant leader, one needs to be honestly passionate about enlightening and uplifting others. If one does not feels that passion to work more, inspire more, achieve more, help more, it is not ‘servant leadership’ but ‘fake servant leadership’. If a servant leader is driven by pure greed for power, selfish interests and ambitions, he or she can never be a true servant leader. As a leader one must believe that the buck stops at him. If no one from the team delivers, he is responsible and should do it himself/herself. If people believe that I was successful and left my vestiges as an Area Director or District Public Relations Manager, then that was because I was just honestly passionate and sincere. I had to fight for being right; I had to fight to stay out of factions, so that I could remain focused and achieve my laid goals. I never had any hunger to be in power and remain in power and I think this helped me to achieve more. When you are fearless of losing nothing, you attain more. ETHICAL LEADERSHIP: There are ways to do things and, there are ethical ways to do things. One may achieve humongous goals by compromising with ethos and virtues but somewhere deep down they know whether their means were right or wrong. One should never let the conscience die. A good outcome never excuses any wrongs committed to attain it.An ethical leader sets an example by following and living the best ethical practices. Continued....
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My Leadership Style! Sometimes in leadership, sheer politics eliminates ethics. When this becomes quite prevalent, it’s time to reflect. Also, an ethical leader never follows the policy of appeasement to network and gain wider support. I firmly believe that “Two wrongs never make a right. A wrong is always wrong.” INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP: A good leader is not a boss to his team but is a friend. And when the team finds a friend in its leader, it becomes quite easy for the team to attain even seemingly impossible goals. Thus, an inclusive leadership is empathic and sensitive to the needs and concerns of the team or the people. If any of the team members has concerns, it needs to be immediately looked into and resolved. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP: Strategies do not mean political/war strategies here but having a clear vision, goals and, the plans to achieve the same. It also involves identifying risks early. When I was executing my duties as an Area Director and District PR Manager, I had carved out my goals and strategies in the beginning of the Toastmasters year and I tried to stick to the same. I was a PR Manager with a large team to manage and that required strategies like identifying the team members with right skill set, creating backups, calculating team members’ bandwidths and allocating right resources to right tasks, identifying risks and mitigating the same. Your leadership style might be different from mine, but whatever you do, be honest, be ethical, be diligent and be sincere.
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The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others. JOHN LOCKE
 Satyadip Basu, DTM (Associate Program Quality Director,District 41) shared some quick tips to improve the quality of your formal sessions!
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SACRED SEVEN TO QUALITY Satyadip Basu, DTM Associate Program Quality Director, District 41 Toastmasters is a wonderful platform to learn and hone public speaking and leadership skills. Since the root of learning lies in club sessions, maintaining the quality of sessions holds utmost importance. Here are my Sacred Seven points to be kept in mind for establishing high standards of quality in club sessions as well as to prevent member attrition. Responsible Executive Committee (EC) The EC is the backbone of every club. The EC members should be completely aware of their roles and responsibilities and should be accountable for the well-being of the club. The functioning of the club and the session as a whole depends on their action and guidance. Adherence to meeting protocol A toastmaster meeting has 3 sections, viz. the prepared speech, table topics and evaluation section. It is very important to adhere to the protocol of these sections. While some clubs have additional roles such as Jokemaster, Ha Ha
counter etc. , it must be kept in mind the very essence of a meeting is not lost due to these roles. Also the meeting should start and end on time. Mentoring Mentoring of members plays an extremely vital role in toastmasters. Not only the speeches have to be mentored, but all the role players in a session should be guided by experienced toastmasters. This is more important for new members who need to be groomed before they play any role in the session so that they kick start on a correct note. Hence the EC should select mentors judiciously for effective guidance. Prepared role players All role players in a Toastmasters session must be prepared well in advance. This helps in seamless flow of the session. Special emphasis should be given to the following role players: Continued.... 15
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SACRED SEVEN TO QUALITY 1. The Toastmaster of the Day (TMoD) A TMoD is the anchor of a meeting and should never try to steal the show from the speakers and evaluators. TMoD should remember that he/she is not in the spotlight but is in the limelight. He/she should pace the session in such a manner that the audience’s interest is not lost and should also make necessary adjustments for any special events in a regular session. 2. General Evaluator (GE) The key to success in a toastmaster session is the Evaluation section as it can make or break a club. While speeches and extempore can be heard anywhere, effective feedback is the cornerstone of toastmasters. And no one other than a strong GE can facilitate the same in the best possible way as he/she evaluates the session as a whole. Constructive feedback not only help the speakers but also enthralls the guests by providing them a scope to learn. Hence, it is of paramount importance to have a strong GE in the session, more so for new clubs where the foundation has to be laid to build an edifice. Sensitize guests Guests are one of the most important aspects of any toastmasters meeting. The only focus should not be to convert them into members, rather understand their expectations from toastmasters and accordingly sensitize them so that they are convinced that they would be able to reap benefits if they join toastmasters
Focus on new members Members are the essence of toastmasters. More often than not, once a guest becomes a member, we tend to lose our focus on him/her. We must remember that every member has few aspirations and has joined toastmasters for a purpose. If we do not address members concern, there is every possibility that they may decide to discontinue. Hence the club must address members’ queries and try to meet their aspirations so that their satisfaction is maintained at the highest level. Adoption of best practices It is important for every club to interact with other clubs and hold joint sessions with them so that the best practices of two or more clubs can be adopted which would yield rich dividends. The clubs should also encourage members to visit other clubs, deliver speeches and play roles therein which would increase their confidence to perform outside their comfort zone. Remember friends, quality is a habit and in a forum like toastmasters it cannot be measured. It has to be imbibed within the members and a club that has quality sessions would automatically thrive towards excellence. I encourage each and every club to maintain high standard of quality for their Toastmasters sessions which would not only benefit the members but also attract guests and would be the key lever for the club to thrive in the long run.
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VANCOUVER CONVENTION CHECK OUT ALL THE BUZZ OF TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION WITH SANDEEP RATURI, ACB, ALB PROGRAM QUALITY DIRECTOR, DISTRICT 41
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When I became a Toastmaster about 6 years back, I used to consider the small basement hall where we conducted our meetings, as the whole world of Toastmasters. It was only when I attended Orations’ 2011, that I really got know to how big and wonderful is the family of Toastmasters. It was an enthralling experience for me to meet toastmasters from all over the country and listen to their amazing speeches. And since then, I have had the pleasure of attending as many as seven Toastmasters Conferences in different parts of India. Knowing fully well how interesting it is to meet so many Toastmasters at one place, I was supremely excited to be a part of International Convention at Vancouver and had very high expectations from the event. Now that I am back in India after the event, I can say with certitude that “The International Convention” surpassed even my 'exceptionally' high expectations by a mile. As a member of the Trio, along with the District Director Pallav Verma, DTM and Club Growth Director Jennifer Ghosh, DTM, we truly had a rewarding experience when we underwent training for two days to attend the International Convention. With the sea and the mountains adding to the charm and beauty of the enchanting city of Vancouver, it was a dreamlike setting for the convention. The first two days before the convention were earmarked for the intensive training of the District leaders. All the training sessions were interactive in nature and we could brainstorm amongst ourselves and with the leaders of other districts, learning from each other the ways to take our Districts forwards by enhancing the members’ experience. On both the evenings after our training, we had the meetings scheduled with the nominated members and floor candidates who were contesting for the Leadership position for the year 2017-18, wherein we interviewed each one of them to find the best who could lead us as "Second Vice President" of TMI and "International Directors" for different regions.
SANDEEP RATURI, ACB, ALB PROGRAM QUALITY DIRECTOR, DISTRICT 41
As each of the candidates had been in senior leadership position in the past, we also used this opportunity to seek their opinion and guidance on several matters that could help us in the efficient growth of our district. The Convention started on 23 August, Wednesday. During the opening ceremony in the evening, many of the Toastmasters have come dressed in a traditional attire of their respective countries. The high point of the opening ceremony was to watch the majestic Flag March when the wonderfully dressed District Directors from all over the world marched in the hall and walked to the stage carrying the flags of different countries. It was a sight to behold when District Director Pallav Verma, DTM carried our national flag with a super confident gait and Club Growth Director, Jennifer Ghosh, DTM marched with the flag of ‘Toastmasters International’ with a beaming smile. All the days of the conventions were packed with inspiring keynote addresses by accomplished speakers and leaders like Delatorro McNeal (peak performance expert, best selling author), Mark Hunter (2009 world champion of public speaking), Kindra Hall (an award-winning columnist, author and national champion storyteller), and many more. Continued.... 18
Continued.... Another proud moment for District 41 was when Shailee Basnet, a Toastmaster from our District delivered a stirring keynote address prompting everyone to give her a loud and long standing ovation (It is matter of great pleasure for us that she would also be delivering the Keynote address in District 41 Semi Annual Conference, Resonance 2017). Since Toastmasters International places a lot of importance in recognizing the achievement of the Districts and its leaders, there were different awards presented to those who performed commendably in the last year. As the Trio of the number one district of the world, we were given the honor to be the first to receive the award for being the President Distinguished District. Trio of the last year IPDD Mukesh Kumar, DTM; IPPQD And DD Pallav Verma, DTM and IPCGD Deepak Sharma were also presented with an award of excellence (We collected the award on behalf of IPDD and ICGD as they were not present in the event). Besides being the number one district of the world, District 41 also attained the no. 2 position for “President’s Extension Award” (for showing a net growth of 48 clubs) and no.3 position for “President’s 20-plus award”. Needless to mention here that DTM Mukesh Kumar has remarkably led the District team in the last term that eventually brought so many laurels for the district. Toastmasters' most prestigious award for an individual is the “Golden Gavel”. For the past 55 years, it has been given annually to an individual distinguished in the fields of communication and leadership. The award for 2017 was presented Erin Gruwell for her commitment to helping those who have nowhere else to turn using the art of communication. On 24 August, the speech contests began when there were 10 rounds of different Semi Final Contests held with 10-11 contestants participating in each contest. The winners from these 10 Semi Final Contests proceeded to the Finals.
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Continued.... We also attended some of the Semi Final contests and were amazed by the quality of speeches in each one of them. There was a 78 year old female contestant who had been a Toastmaster for over 45 years and there was also a 33 years old contestant who had been a toastmaster for only 07 months.It was a sheer pleasure to see the contestants from different parts of the world in diverse age group vying for the top position. (It was heartbreaking for us that District Champion 41 Reety Wadha could not attend the convention as she had met with unfortunate accident only a few weeks before the contest and the first runner up Hemant Masiwal could not get his VISA due to paucity of time). The Finals of International Speech Contest was held on 25 August evening and it was indeed wonderful to note that as many as three contestants in the final list were Indians- two from India and one from Singapore. In a keenly fought contest, Manoj Vasudevan (an Indian-origin Singaporean), clinched the winner’s trophy to become the “World Champion of Public Speaking, 2017”. On 26th August, there was the Annual Business Meeting where we, as the representative of District 41, cast our votes to the deserving candidates based on our interviews. It was a proud moment for us to see District 41 Mentor Deepak Menon, DTM being elected as the First Vice President of Toastmasters International. Mr.Balraj Arunasalam from Sri Lanka is now the International President of Toastmasters International. Richard Peck, DTM has been elected as the Second Vice President. After the annual business meeting, there was a “Region's Gathering” where district leaders mingled with the members of their respective region to celebrate the results of the 20
Continued.... ‘Annual Business Meeting’ and the day finally culminated with the President’s Celebration which went on till midnight. Speaking for all the Trio Members, I can say that one week in Vancouver was full of fun, learning and celebration and we will cherish these memories throughout our lives. It was a great experience meeting and interacting with wonderful toastmasters and leaders from all across the world and it is difficult to describe in words the proud feeling that we had in representing the numero uno district in the world . Thank you all the members of District 41, for your immense contribution in the growth of the District and we are sure that with your support and involvement, the flag of District 41 will continue to fly high…very high….very very high !
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DISTRICT 41 (NORTH & EAST INDIA, BANGLADESH, NEPAL, BHUTAN)
CONGRATULATES Deepak Menon, DTM
For being the First Vice President of Toastmasters International, U.S. 22
THE BIG PICTURE Who We Are and What We Do "While most of us may have entered Toastmasters to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the beginning of the good which may come to us, and the good which we may do for mankind." - Dr. Ralph C. Smedley Ours is an organisation dedicated to creating effective leaders and communicators worldwide. We do it through our clubs where we allow our members to practice speaking, listening and thinking. Through our program, we promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding and contribute to the betterment of mankind. This is who we are and what we do. This is The Big Picture! When we align our communication to this identity, only then do we build our Public Relations the way they are supposed to be. Catching public attention is a must for any organization. For those responsible for Public Relations at Toastmasters, our responsibility is far greater towards the people who aren’t members of our community than to those who are. While our Presidents and Vice Presidents of Education communicate with the members of the community, the responsibility to make sure that we catch the attention of those who aren’t a part of this community lies on our shoulders.
Devina Chaturvedi, ACS, ALB Public Relations Manager, District 41 Those are the people who are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to enhance communication and leadership skills. YOU have the power to change their lives if you are able to attract their attention to Toastmasters. As many a great men have said, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ and being the provider of information is a position of great power and even greater responsibility. The information that we provide and how we provide it directly influences the decisions of those who choose to join us and those who choose not to. If we send out a communication that doesn’t reflect who we are and what we do or spread our message using means that aren’t ‘right’, we portray a false image and the value we hold is lost. When public is drawn to a brand or an organization because of what it truly stands for, not an ad or a certain point of hype, but a message, a story, ‘the’ story of what that organisation is all about, that is what marks the success of PR. Continued....
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THE BIG PICTURE Who We Are and What We Do When we talk about Nike or Adidas, we identify them with their logo, but we know them for their shoes. When we talk about Apple or One Plus, we think about their Products before we think about their logo. It is all the elements - the products, the services, the employees, the customers, all of them which reflect the brand. Similarly, our brand is not just our logo or wordmark. Toastmasters is everything from a regular meeting to the International Convention, from a contest to a training session, from the projects in our manuals to each and every member of the organisation. That whole combination is what our Brand is all about. At Toastmasters, “We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.” We are “Where Leaders Are Made.” When we attract public with this message, only then do we have members who all have the right expectations from the program. Such members work together better, feel responsible for the quality of our meetings, and continuously work towards the development of each member of the community, all the while being lead by our core values - Integrity, Respect, Service, Excellence. These will be the people most loyal to the brand because they’ll be the only ones who’ll receive the experience that was promised to them.
To this effect, follow the Brand Guidelines with everything that you do. Align all communication to the Brand. Be a living embodiment of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence, whether or not you’re in a Toastmasters setting. Believe that you are a leader, and that you have been made by some contribution from this organisation. Focus more on creating goodwill about the organisation than on publicizing it.
“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.” This is who we are and what we do. The question is, do we reflect this as ‘the Big Picture’?
Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room. -Jeff Bezos
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MEET THE TEAM DISTRICT PR MANAGER
DEVINA CHATURVEDI, ACS, ALB DELHI ONE TOASTMASTERS
I can’t claim for it to be great but, if there is one philosophy that defines my style of leadership, it would be, “All we need to do is KISS.” Yes, you got that right! KISS. “Keep It Simple, Silly!” It was a philosophy that was introduced to me by a Toastmaster through one of their speeches in my early days as a Toastmaster. It’s a popular design principle of the U.S. Navy. The idea is - the more we complicate things, the tougher they seem (and become) to achieve. Applying this principle to leadership implies three simple things for me- i) involve only those people whose involvement is absolutely necessary; ii) the important thing is for the job to get done and not who does it, iii) the ‘why’ of things is the single most important aspect. This straightforward and easy to remember approach to leadership is what has made a difference in my life. CONTENT CURATOR
"My secret to leadership consists of 4Ps- Plan, Passion, Perseverance, and Pass. It is important that as leaders, we plan and then follow it ardently, since team members look up to us for guidance. But when things go south, we need to maintain our poise. In the end, when a team wins we should pass on the credit to members but if a team loses, we should accept the blame. "
MANISH PATEL DELHI ONE TOASTMASTERS
CONTENT CURATOR
"Great leaders do not need any badge or title. Steering through the sea of difficulties they bring out the best in everyone. Not only they help in attaining the desired goals, but also they motivate everyone, teaching them to dream beyond what is attainable. And this is how they produce not just results but miracles."
SHRESHTHA BANSAL IIM LUCKNOW UTTHAN TOASTMASTERS CLUB
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MEET THE TEAM CONTENT CURATOR
"A Great Leader is built not born. Being a leader takes someone to be the root and rise to the bud. Every great leader has few qualities that differentiate them from the herd.“ If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader,” said John Quincy Adams."
KAZI RAFSHAN NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY TOASTMASTERS CLUB GRAPHICS DESIGNER
"In a world where everyone wants to be a great manager and wants to lead the crowd by setting an example, many tend to forget and dilute the meaning of a true leader. I feel a true leader is a one who not just leads the crowd and move forward but takes his/her team along as well. Adjustment, trust, understanding and communication lighten up our path to becoming a true leader."
HARSHAD MANGLANI DELHI ONE TOASTMASTERS
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