EloQuence- Edition 52: New Beginning

eloQuence JULY 2020

ISSUE NO. 52

New Beginning

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION PAGES 1-3

FEATURE

SPEECHCRAFT JOURNEY TOWARDS BETTER COMMUNICATION GAVEL CLUB

PAGES 4-7

PERSPECTIVE WHY TOASTMASTERS?

PAGES 8-17

WMC TOASTMASTERS CHARTERED IN 2003| KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN CLUB NO: 603459| AREA 9 DIVISION D| DISTRICT 20

WMCToastmasters

wmctm

WMCToastmasters

https://603459.toastmastersclubs.org/

Learning. Leading. Transforming

The President's Desk

""One of the essential elements of a good speech is its content and how well it is crafted."

Dear Fellow Toastmasters, We have taken an oath that in this excom term we will publish our newsletter eloQuence every month. We are glad to release our first eloQuence newsletter of this series in the very first meeting of the new Toastmasters term.

TM Yashodhan Abhyankar

You might be wondering why we require an eloQuence every month when we struggle to publish two editions in a year. Is it possible to publish twelve editions in a year?

My answer is, YES, we can.

We are Toastmasters and we love to speak. One of the essential elements of a good speech is its content and how well it is crafted. The more we write, the sooner we will gain mastery on how to arrange our thoughts in an organized and appropriate manner. The very basis of publishing the eloQuence every month is to make you write.

The format will be very simple. Every month we will pick one theme. We do not expect an article of thousand words to start with. Let it be in the form of a small essay of just two hundred words. Try it, and you will soon realize that it is not that difficult. Guess what? You have already proved it by writing your very first essay!

I congratulate you on your contribution and look forward to a beautiful eloQuence every month. Keep Writing!

A Note from your Public Relations team

TM Sukumar Swaminathan

Dear WMC-ians and fellow Toastmasters, eloQuence is beginning a new journey. I quote Lao Tzu who said “a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step”; which holds true for eloQuence today. We have re-branded our beloved newsletter with a bold new font-set, TMI colours and a picturesque layout as a start.

Our vision for the newsletter is to represent all of us, our club, our achievements and to celebrate our voyage as WMC Toastmasters. Our theme this year is ‘Learning. Leading. Transforming’, and we want to showcase that in eloQuence. Our first edition’s flavor is ‘New Beginning’ and you will see the newsletter celebrating our club’s achievements in Speechcraft, broadening communication and Gavel club. We need to engage in more such activities this year which will help us hoist our club’s flag high in the world of Toastmasters while helping us grow as individuals. You will read perspectives of our club’s fellow toastmasters and it will help us understand each other’s aspirations better. We will also celebrate our members' key achievements in their Educational journey and ourselves as members in the first place. The joy lies in savoring the journey and I will not hold you further! Bon Voyage!

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Founding President's Message TTT -"Toastmastering in Troubled Times". This is what flashes through my mind as I reflect on what to pen as my message of 300 words. We are in the throes of a pandemic and the words of this period are 'Corona', 'Covid 19'. In the midst of the pandemic Covid 19, we are witnessing a pandemic of scientific papers and treatment modalities on this unseen virus which has locked us in our homes.

Added to this is a pandemic of Whatsapp, Google and Yahoo ""Iam impressed by the proactive doctors who forward treatment after treatment to prevent /cure nature of our dear the disease.

WMC club which rose to the DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran occasion" I don't want to dwell into the merits or demerits if these therapies (Shall discuss individually if needed). How has the pandemic affected Toastmastering? We Toastmasters continue to prove that nothing can hinder our path to become better communicators and leaders. I am impressed by the proactive nature of our dear WMC club members who rose to the occasion. From the beautiful venue in Crowne Plaza where we discussed Pathways over coffee and cookies, we metamorphosed into online geniuses who could generate humour through Zoom with coffee (not cookies). On a personal note I am a technologically handicapped person but even I have learned a lot and this has prepared me to slowly enter the sea of 'Pathways' this year. I have been testing the waters from the shore now. I look forward to a fruitful year with Team 2020-21 as they push me into the sea through 'Learning. Leading.

Transforming'.

All the best Yash and team.

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Meet your New Executive Commitee

From Left to right: Sergeant At Arms- Asif Yaseen Shaikh, Secretary- TM Pragathi Nagendra Kumar, VP Membership- TM Anil Kumar, Immediate Past President- TM Masood Shah, President- TM Yashodhan Abhyankar, VP Education- TM Jefrey Abraham, VP Public Relations- TM Sukumar Swaminathan & Treasurer- TM Joe Francis

Education Update

WMC Toastmasters Club is superproud of its newest Distinguished Toastmaster Manoj Kumar Pandey

Membership Update

WMC Toastmasters Club wishes its members TM Joe Francis (Left) and TM Ilyas Ahmed (Right) A Happy Members Day (1st July 2020)

Feature

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SPEECHCRAFT "What differentiates WMC Toastmasters Speechcraft from the regular ones is its focus on the individual and not the collective."

Speechcraft is a 4-, 6- or 8- week adult program (18 and over) developed for new or non-Toastmasters allowing participants to understand the concepts of leadership and public speaking. Accomplished Toastmasters guide the participants through the fundamentals of public speaking and leadership in a relaxed, nonthreatening atmosphere. This is one of the several methods advocated by Toastmasters International to increase membership. Most often it leads to the formation of a new club itself.At WMC Toastmasters Speechcraft has been vamped to match corporate training modules in presentation skills and leadership. We have conducted two speechcrafts each for BAPCO and Zain and are currently conducting our third session for American Mission Hospital.What differentiates WMC Toastmasters Speechcraft from the regular ones is its focus on the individual and not the collective. It empowers every single participant by addressing their strengths rather than pointing out the weaknesses. It encourages people to be a better version of themselves than just adopt techniques to improve skills. Feedback from participants has encouraged WMC to fine tune this module into a transformational experience.

DTM Rekha Utham in action with DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran at AMH.

A speaker in operation.

Our Club's Clientele

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5 The Last Shade of Grey

The Last Train Troupe

WMC Toastmasters has explored communication in depth taking inspiration from the Communication Manuals of Toastmasters International. The power of words, the strength of body language, the efficiency of tone to create a mood or transform an attitude has been recognized worldwide. Gaining from that insight WMC explored the world of art and theater to understand better the power of theater and cinema as a medium of communication. Can public speakers and leaders gain anything from this medium? This was the question which led WMC Toastmasters to explore the world of visual communication. It conducted a short play contest, the first ever in the world of Toastmasters. WMC put up a non-competitive entry 'The Last Train' which received excellent reviews from the audience and the judges. Encouraged by the overwhelming response WMC produced a full length play 'The Last Shade of Grey' written, directed and enacted by its own members. The play, written by Suresh Karunakaran, was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. The very next year WMC conducted a short film festival 'Cinergy' which was the first of its kind in Bahrain and became a path breaking icon, inspiring film festivals on the island even today. 'Massrahiya' the short play contest conducted by WMC in 2016 saw the club showcase a play 'The Last Word', which received accolades as the best play of the event.

Journey towards better Communication In their insatiable quest for better, powerful communication WMC members have learnt not only the art of communication but also the art of organizing events of international standards. It has taught WMC the valuable lesson of collaboration and team work which till today is the adhesive that glues together its fabric of diversity and inclusiveness. Now, the question is: Have we got it in us to rise to the occassion again in

2020-2021?

Cinergy International Short Film Festival

GAVEL CLUB

"When you talk, you give yourself away. You reveal your true character in a picture which is more true and realistic than anything an artist can do for you." – Ralph C Smedley WMC Gavel Masters (WMCGM) was founded in 2003 by Mr. A.S Jose and mentored by Mr. Mathew Oomen. Since then our parent club WMC Toastmasters Club and its eminent members have been a pillar of strength to us through their constant support and guidance. WMCGM is founded on the vision to provide a platform for budding young public speakers to experiment and innovate their ideas and skills and thereby discover and be their true self. Here in each meeting every Gavelier is encouraged to become one step better than what he/she was in the previous meeting and thereby to reach their full potential which I believe is the reason for members of WMCGM being among the regular winners in the Gavel Masters Annual Contests.

Our current membership strength is of 25 active members, who attend meetings fortnightly and give their best efforts in each meeting.

Journey towards better Communication

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Mariam Thomas, President of the WMC Gavels Masters

"When I joined this club in 2017 I saw it as a place which had a huge potential for me to grow as a person. It was a place where I could meet new people and develop my communication skills. I tried my best to capture the moments I had in the club. I have seen this club grow from a novice club to a sophisticated one. We now have proper standards, practices, procedures, and processes to run the club.

The skills we learn in Toastmasters gavels club are core skills that we need for interacting with people every day. Many think of Toastmasters as only benefiting those involved in giving big presentations or emceeing at occasions, but it is much more than that. What we do here makes our individual worlds a better place. We become more confident and entertaining within a group of friends or new acquaintances, we become better storytellers and we become more coherent.

Being a member of this club brings many opportunities to learn and grow through the education system and support of fellow members.

The development and success of individuals in the past have been a sterling example of why we choose to be here today. We are competitive, we are genuine, and we push each other to do better to improve in our communication and leadership.

Journey towards better Communication

There are new horizons for us as we expect to see an increase in membership and with this growth I am grateful for the foundations that have sustained us. I thank all the toastmasters for taking time to come to our club as general evaluators, for conducting workshops, as judges to conduct our club contest and for grooming us for Gavel Masters Annual Contest (GMAC) and look forward to seeing you in our future meetings.

Wishing you well! Stay Safe!

Perspective: Why Toastmasters?

I found it hard to suppress my laughter, and in my mind, I felt I was in Kubla Khan’s cave. Dr. Babu, the presiding deity, Suresh, the magician Merlin of the east, Santhosh the Prince Charming, Regy the Captain of the Guards, Nandu the wise sage, Ganapathy the footsoldier, Anjali,the high Priestess and Vani the Queen mother. The pomp, the show, and the ceremonial greetings all made me want to see the court jester desperately so that I could cackle with unlimited glee.

DTM Rekha Utham

The year was 2004, and the month was January.

I had returned to Bahrain after a six-year stint in India with a job that was dynamic, colorful, glamorous and hectic. Bahrain felt like a small dusty, weary waterhole a mighty caravan might have had to pass through on its way to the fabulous riches of the orient. Nandu, a lifetime family friend, offered to take me to Toastmasters, sensing the utter boredom of my humdrum days. Therefore, off I went on a Friday afternoon, the heavy lunch barely settling into my sleep craving tummy. I was handed an agenda. There was a bustle of suited, booted men and women, as well as colorful sarees and kurtis. My jaws dropped despite exposure to thecorporate world.

I looked at the agenda. Most of them were TMs. I was impressed. From one single-family, so many have come to attend this meeting! (In Kerala we use our house name as initials and not any surnames. I am K. T Rekha, so the TM made immense sense to me). It was only towards the tail end of the meeting my tubelight brain figured out that TM meant Toastmasters!

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I could not find the courage to tell Nandu the truth that I found it all hilarious and wanted to run miles from this. So, he would pick me up on Fridays and off I would go for this grand charade.

Over the weeks, the kaleidoscope turned, and the mosaics changed patterns. I saw Dr.Babu’s immense goodwill, Suresh’s incisive advice, Santhosh’s warmth, Regy’s valor, Nandu’s earnestness, Ganapathy’s sincerity, Anjali’s empathy, and Vani’s love. I realized I had a lot to learn from these benevolent souls. Therefore, I stayed.

It was chrysalis. I emerged as a near wholesome being radiating in the warmth of appreciation and developing in the fire of evaluations.

TM Ganapathy Narayanan

Brought up in a traditional household in Kerala, I never had the chance of being educated in an English-medium school. As a result, I was not able to converse and communicate in English as I grew up. I found it difficult to initiate a conversation in English but somehow or the other I always managed to carry on the conversation.

That time, a friend of mine informed and educated me about Toastmasters. My first session was dreadful. My confidence deteriorated as I saw the hall full of dynamic and confident speakers.

Later, our former member, TM Vani Krishnan invited me to attend a session in WMC Toastmasters Club. My dreadful experience remained the same. But the people I met there were so warm and welcoming that they made sure I attended the next meeting as well, and the next, and the next and now it’s been 17 years.

Toastmasters has indeed taken my public speaking and leadership skills to a level which I never thought I could reach. This is the platform where you can only gain, not lose, as it progresses step-by-step. I feel proud to be a charter member of WMC Toastmasters Club and its President during 2009-2010 that helped in 'Empowering' all our dreams to become great leaders. I also had the privilege to have worked under some amazing leaders.

Thank you WMC Toastmasters for shaping me into what I am today.

“Back to you, Fellow Toastmasters!”

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TM Abdul Rahim

Many years ago I joined Awal Dairy Company.

One day my boss told me “Rahim, I want to invite you to Toastmasters tonight”. I was excited, I asked him “where is it sir?”

I noted down the venue, I thought Toastmasters is a new restaurant in town and he is inviting me for a dinner! Only then I knew from him that Toastmasters is a public speaking club and not a restaurant. I was a little disappointed.

Nevertheless, he took me to one of the Toastmasters meetings. I was least impressed with what I saw.

The only thing I liked in the entire meeting was the hot piping samosas with tamarind chutney, they served during break. But I thought to myself, do I need to attend toastmasters meeting to have samosas? So I forgot the whole episode.

But my boss didn’t. During next couple of weeks, he insisted and persisted, as he said “Rahim, you must join Toastmasters.” Eventually, I had to give in. And for my boss, I joined Toastmasters.

Well, they say, boss is always right. Today when I look back, I can say yes, my boss was right.

But it all started it with me thinking that Toastmasters was a restaurant!

TM Murali Udayakanth

“What you put into Toastmasters is what you get out of Toastmasters”-quoted TM Khalid Al Qoud. I strongly believe in this.

TM David Lloyd, my client from Alba, had persuaded me to join Toastmasters. He often said, ‘Toastmasters will help you structure your presentation, reduce the speed in which you talk and it would be a great place to network’. This was years ago and though I had the intention to join Toastmasters, my work schedule didn't let me then.

In 2006, TM Achath Kumar from EK Kanoo invited me to NSS Toastmasters Club. I participated in the Club Table Topics Contest, got my first ribbon and from then on, represented my club in many Area Contests. I enjoyed meeting people from God's Own Country and from various other walks of life.

I had enrolled with NSS Toastmasters right after my first visit. History usually repeats itself, and the same happened at WMC Toastmasters, where I signed up the very same evening. I was presold to the idea of joining WMC as two of my ex-club mates were here and I missed being part of this moment where discussions were diverse – where thoughts, ideas, stories and latest information were shared.

To sum up, for me, Toastmasters is a platform to improve my presentation and speaking skills. It has aided me in adding those pauses, controlling my pace, ending with clarity, meeting people and networking. I am not a member of any social club and I don’t want to be a part of any rat race either. I run a Design Agency and I absolutely love to meet new people from different walks of life.

WMC offers a cultural cocktail that one would undoubtedly enjoy.

TM Thirumalai Ponnambalam

"Oh God, please, please, please; Not me! As a student that was always my inner talk. I sat in the class always with a fear of being called-out by the teacher to speak as part of a discussion or debate. Due to that fear I couldn't enjoy the discussions in the class or process the topics that were discussed.

Things were not different when I started working also. I worked hard to compile data and make reports but always delegated the presentation part to someone else and hence someone else took the credit for all the work done. When this was repeated quite a few times I decided that it is time for me to do something about it.

Around the same time, a dear friend of mine invited me to attend a WMC Toastmasters meeting. I felt very comfortable and saw that it was a platform where you can fail multiple times and learn. So I decided to join this wonderful journey of Toastmasters. This has helped me to choose my current job as a Teacher which I could have never imagined to before. I chose to be the counselor for WMC Gavel Club to guide those youngsters to overcome their fear of speaking which I didn't have access to in my young age. Even though the fear is still there, now I know how to manage it and still speak in front of a gathering.

"Oh, Thank God; It’s me!"

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TM Yashodhan Arun Abhyankar

My No.1 enemy in school was English. My No.1 enemy in college was English. My No.1 enemy at work is English. For turning this enemy to a friend, the best solution I found was – joining Toastmasters. I studied in a Marathi medium school, with minimal exposure to English. During my school and college days, I hardly got any opportunity to converse in English. In fact, we used to make fun of some of our friends who used English words while speaking because they studied in English medium.

After leaving my comfort zone, I stepped into the real world and I realized how foolish I was. But it was too late. I never felt comfortable speaking or writing in English due to my weak vocabulary, horrible grammar and incorrect spellings.

Later on, my daughter Mugdha joined the WMC Gavels club and started delivering speeches. Couple of times I attended Gavels club meetings to record her speeches. I was astonished to see what happened during the meetings. No one laughs at your English; rather everyone tries to help each other by correcting mistakes. This gave me a ray of hope. I realized that this is my chance to get over my fear and I joined WMC. I still remember the first speech I wrote. Mugdha had to almost rewrite the entire speech. Thanks to WMC, I have reached a stage where Mugdha does not need more than 15 minutes to correct my speech. I know that there is still a long way to go, but as our beloved Dr Babu always says – “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. I am happy that I have taken that first step.

TM Masood Shah

"Good communication and leadership skills are essential tools to be successful in every walk of life.

Whatever the field of work you choose, you have to communicate with people. You need to talk about your product, your idea, a medicine that you made or anything that you want to create or you have created. You must know the art of communication to attract people to what you are saying, besides the good quality of your product.

Similarly, being a teacher and later as a trainer (in health care), in order to get better results I felt that I needed to improve upon my relationship with my students. To achieve that goal I was guided to improve my communication and leadership skills.

Hence, I landed in the amazing world of Toastmasters where at the very outset I came across a very famous quote of Dr. Ralph C Smedley “We learn best in the moments of enjoyment.”

My learning over 04 years in Toastmasters has made me improve my professional skills by achieving my goals of better relations with my students resulting in better results. Besides, I have transformed as a better human being than I was. Attending different club meetings, listening to many speakers and knowing about their life experiences; I have learnt about the realities of life. I have learnt to be more forgiving and tolerant to unhealthy manners. In our projects we are encouraged to bring in our life experiences, past stories, accomplishments, failures and those incidents that become part of our permanent memory. In retrospect, I found many elements of my temperament where I could give a pat on my back and in some where I had to correct myself. I appreciated myself for making some good decisions in and also went to some people and apologized for the results of my bad decisions. Due to the constant positive experiences in all Toastmasters’ activities, my soul became accepting and I was ready to forgive and forget excruciating elements of my life. I seriously feel that engaging in such activities of learning to be good communicators and leaders can really transform us into better versions of ourselves.

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TM Joe Francis

Human race is made for cooperation and all the progress we have made are due to it. The main pillar of cooperation is communication that can motivate, unite, and coordinate people to achieve what is good for the society.

As Napoleon once said, the world suffers not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people.

Speaking is a big part of communication. To be a good speaker, I need to bust out the irrational fear I have about public speaking. Like any performing art, public speaking can be improved with practice. I joined toastmasters to kill my stage fear, learn by repetition, and express myself better. If everyone communicates clearly and with compassion, I have no doubt that the world will be a safer place.

TM Asif Yaseen Shaikh

Before joining the Toastmaster, I was not aware of it. But later, someone told me it is the club where all Toastmasters meet every month to grow their public speaking and leadership skills.

I don't have any problem while speaking with friends or family. When speaking with an unknown person or with any senior authority, I feel very nervous and can't talk with them for more than one minute without any topic. Such clubs where I can grow my public speaking and leadership skills are very important. WMC Toastmasters is a very active club, different from all the other Toastmasters clubs in Bahrain.

So I decided to take this challenge to join WMC Toastmasters and develop my skills.

TM Norman Dass

There is a saying, "Birds of same feather flock together". Better to stay with those, who will help you grow mentally & professionally in your life & career.

I am in Toastmasters: 1- To improve my language.

2. To learn public speaking.

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TM Pragati Nagendra Kumar

I am a person of few words, and if anybody asks me questions, like my parents, friends and relatives, my answer would simply be “yes, yes,” “no, no,” “yeah,” or “I have no idea.” These answers annoyed my dad! Hence, he enrolled me in WMC Toastmasters club in order to help me improve my speaking skills and develop my confidence to speak in front of new people.

Joining WMC Toastmasters club has indeed improved not only my confidence but also my grammar, vocabulary effective communication.

My goal is to be an effective communicator and an inspiring speaker.

The meeting themes, topics and roles improved my speaking, listening and thinking skills. In fact, it helped me understand the people around me. Although during my school time, we attended the speaking, listening and learning skills classes, they were insufficient. For example, the listening skills were marked for five marks just to listen to an audio and answer the questions. Now it has become more day-today skills that I apply and practice. I started speaking within a given time limit and taking notes of the speeches, which helped me organize my thoughts and write them down.

Before joining WMC TMC I did not have goals, but after joining, I got inspired by the speeches.

Now I have a goal, and I am trying my best to achieve it.

In conclusion, I would say that the Toastmasters club has improved my communication skills and made me more focused on what I want to achieve. For that, I am thankful to my dad for putting me on this right path.

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TM Apurva Divakaran

‘Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear’. I have always been absolutely terrified of public speaking. An incident in school, at the age of five, triggered the stage fright in me. Inspite of the perpetual compulsion in my later years, I would manage to evade Toastmasters with all my effort.

I strongly believe in destiny. I did not realise, 12 years ago, when my brother Dibish walked up on a stage to receive the Best Actor Award for a Short Film Festival 'Cinergy' conducted by WMC Toastmasters, that I would be a part of the very same club later.

I also firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. My aversion to sports in my childhood meant that I had no cycle balance. For that same reason, I decided to give cycling a go last year. Of all the cycling classes that happened in Bahrain, I chose that particular cycling class under that particular instructor and on that specific day and I cannot thank my stars enough, because I happened to meet the most fantastic person there, who not just convinced me to attend WMC with her friendly demeanour, but went on to become my mentor - DTM Rekha Utham.

Overcoming my fear twenty years later after that five year-old child’s traumatic experience and joining Toastmasters was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. You can never go wrong in this place. And I wish every single person would take up this wonderful odyssey in their life, which I guarantee, can be a true life changing game.

TM Raghu Kumar

To find a better me, I joined the Toastmasters movement. I wanted to improve my communication, hone my leadership and public speaking skills. Initially I came to know about Toastmasters from one of my colleagues who was an excellent negotiator and I later came to know that he is a Toastmaster.

When I attended my first Toastmasters meeting as a guest, I was impressed by the way the club meeting was organized. Cheerful faces glowed in an elite ambiance with a cohesive learning atmosphere. I felt privileged by the opportunity to network with people from different walks of life.

I was mesmerized by the flow, how each and every role was defined to practice, improve speaking and listening skills. The concept of mentoring where the mentor acts as a motivational source for the member to support throughout their learning journey was amazing.

After attending a few meetings, I was convinced to become a member of the Toastmasters platform which I perceived to be an astounding one to succeed personally and professionally.

I really feel that I am on the right path in my leadership development journey by being a member of the Toastmasters movement and becoming a better version of myself gradually.

TM Jefrey Abraham

“Toastmasters, what’s that?” The first time I had a tryst with public speaking was in the 9th grade when we had an impromptu debate competition by the stand-in english teacher.

Though I was part of the team that lost the debate, it was surprising to see my peers appreciating me, even to the extent of asking if I had any prior experience. Little did they know that I was literally shaking in my boots.

Since then I’ve been a reluctant public speaker.

In my past I found myself in situations where people mistook my reluctance for confidence. In reality, my confidence kept waning every time I spoke on a public forum, as I was pushed into roles I didn’t want.

All this changed when a friend of mine in 2004 invited me to my first Toastmasters meeting. It was a revelation of epic proportions. Speakers were willingly and gleefully subjecting themselves to the scrutiny and judgement of their peers. It was then that I realized that the lens with which I viewed public speaking was all wrong. Public speaking should be enjoyed and celebrated with people who love it as much as you do. While everyone secretly desires to become a better version of themselves, fear and anxiety pulls them back. Through Toastmasters you will learn to overcome those fears, simply by doing.

Today when I’m called to the stage, I run and not walk as I look forward to what my peers have in store for me. That’s what Toastmasters is all about. A place where one can have a structured path of learning to become a better communicator and leader, supported by fellow peers who are equally passionate in building self-confidence and self-awareness.

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TM Sukumar Swaminathan

I did not have any particular reason to join Toastmasters. Infact, as part of my job I engage with my audience regularly. The audience are my colleagues, management, clients and sometimes partner management teams. I speak with ease because I work on my presentations early, put up a story, have a conclusion and I drive home the point. I win most of my cases and fail to impress in some. Overall, I am recognized as a practical speaker from a business point of view.

In my line of work that is considered as being successful. Yet, I always wanted to evaluate if the success that I am achieving is because of my position at the place of work, my experience which is now my area of expertise or the real me? In other words, am I unconsciously using a camouflage? Is it the perception of the brand Iam that is yielding the results and not because me the individual?

Though I have known platforms like Toastmasters, Lions club etc for some time now, I never took the initiative to explore the domain. At one end I wanted to discover myself, but at the other end I just did not make the move. I must credit Murali for softly persisting with me to visit our club. It took me three meetings over a couple of months in 2019 to realize that this is where I could discover what I wanted to discover always! Even though I rattled away about myself as a guest, I was sweating. I realized that at the work place, like our homes, we become comfortable over a period of time and people around us get used to the hierarchies and we sub consciously settle down.

Presenting to a novel audience is always unsettling, talking extempore is always challenging, overcoming the inner anxiety while on stage is always imposing, articulating a point of view is always demanding, keeping our audience interested towards our topic is always testing and keeping to the time-limit is always challenging. True to this, when I participated the table topics club contest, I overshot my time by a margin, I forgot a part of my own story during my ice breaker speech and whenever I tried using speech tools I fumbled.

It’s ironic however to see how my office mates felt about my presentations in this period. They saw a new and improved Sukumar; they say that I was good earlier but now I was better than good! I was experiencing polar opposites of my own self and I was amazed.

I believe that is what a good school does to ustest our credentials, increase the payload, stretch our boundaries, put us out of our comfort zone and yet discreetly carve us as better individuals. In a short span of six months, I am seeing a transformation in myself and at the same time getting to pursue some of the things that I had stopped doing after college. That’s another subject of discussion though! Paradoxically, Toastmasters may land me back some day to the world of education again, which is my dream, and that will be one of my life’s objective achieved. I can say one thing for sure, Toastmastering may gain or lose the prominence in my upcoming phases of life but it has anchored me well and is here to stay.

Thank you WMC Toastmasters for that!

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TM Anil Kumar

Am I speaking very fast?

I believe YES, I want to become a more effective communicator.

Do I listen to others carefully? I believe NOT ALWAYS– I want to become a good listener.

Am I able to finish duties on time? I need to WORK on it- I want to manage time effectively.

Is my grammar correct? I DON’T believe- I need to improve my grammar.

Do I have enough vocabulary? I am POOR- I need to add new words to my vocabulary.

Are my colleagues getting specific and helpful feedback from me? NOT always- I have to learn giving positive feedback to bring them up.

Above all I want to become: A good father to Meera & Devarsh A good husband to Sithara A better human being

Am I a good leader? YES, I am on my way. This is the right path-Toast masters International through WMC.

Am I able to organize events?Lacking homework- Need to prepare well in advance.

Do I have intelligent answers for impromptu questions from my management- AT TIMES only- I need to improve my impromptu speaking skills.

Am I able to inspire people? I DOUBT- I wish they wait for my speeches.

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DTM Dr. Babu Ramachandran

'I know everything about public speaking' or so I thought. Traveling down memory lane I remember my friend Gopi, a top executive with Google. Gopi and I used to get together whenever he visited my home town in the capital city of "God's own country"-Kerala. In one of our conversations in the late nineties, I recall him telling me that he was a CTM! ATM? That was familiar but CTM? He launched into a lecture on Toastmasters and how it had helped him in improving his communication and leadership skills. I didn't understand and so out went those conversations through my ears.

When I uprooted myself from India and set foot on this Island of Pearls, Gopi called me "Hey Babu, look up Toastmasters when you settle down in Bahrain". He sounded quite passionate. So I walked into Manama Toastmasters one Saturday evening.

Two hours later I came out thinking 'I don't know anything about Public Speaking.' Then started my journey of a thousand miles with that first step of mine. The clock continues to tick. That first meeting I attended was at "The Holiday Inn, Bahrain." The Holiday Inn is now "Crowne Plaza."

Manama Toastmasters gave way to WMC Toastmasters. The "Babu" then is the same "Babu" now (at least the name). I can go on and on and on. The red light gazes at me! Every meeting, every interaction is one step forward in the journey of mastering the art of effective communication and leadership. I end with one of my favourite quotes" IF YOU GET OUT OF TOASTMASTERS WHAT YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF TOASTMASTERS, YOU WILL NEVER GET OUT OF TOASTMASTERS." Think it over!

DTM Manoj Kumar Pandey

'If you coach a toastmaster in cool waters on how to swim, they will vehemently coach you on how to become a Toastmaster. This is exactly what happened to me! My Toastmaster journey would have been deferred or perhaps never happened at all if DTM Jothi Ruben had not come to me to learn swimming. She introduced me to the world of Toastmasters.

Providentially, TM Saju appeared on my horizon and his hospitality and respect touched the core of my being. My senses were captivated when I saw erudite ladies expressing their ideas in such a composed and cheerful way that my sense of hearing relished those musical ambiances. The speeches provided ample nourishment for my emotions as well as for my grey matter (whatever little of it I possessed then). I joined the club immediately as I always prefer to be surrounded by elite class. I am proud that the club nurtured me enabling me in making my way to the ex-com in just after a month of my joining. Their patronage captured my mind and provided the fodder which has made me the leader that I am today. It ended in accomplishing my commitment, to become a DTM. I feel overwhelmed with all that I have achieved in life just by being associated with such wonderful group of people who are like the serene flow of a life-giving river!

Still Enjoying the Ride!

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Editor: TM Sukumar Swaminathan Contributing Editor : DTM Rekha Utham Editorial Panel (PR Sub-Committee) DTM Dr. Thuraya Juma Abdulla DTM Manoj Kumar Pandey TM Apurva Divakaran Feature Contributors DTM Rekha Utham: SPEECHCRAFT & Journey towards better communication Gavel Club team: Gavel club TM Ganapathy Narayanan: Photos Gavel Club Instagram: Photos Unsplash.com: Stock photos Designer: TM Sukumar Swaminathan eloQuence logo and the design are trademarks and copyright of WMC Toastmasters Club, All rights reserved.

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